Toad Contact
"Man," Sasha said, re-entering the teashop's kitchen "It is just me, or the shop is getting more and more crowded every day?""
"It's not your imagination at all." Ivy replied, sitting down with a tired look, taking a break from dishwashing. "Unless I'm imagining it as well."
"That's because someone convinced me to introduce new sweets which have become quite popular among my customers," Felicia walked in, chuckling as she sifted another kettle of hot tea. "I have to compliment you, Sasha: that strudel of yours was a revelation!"
If I had known it would increase my workload this much, I would have thought twice before suggesting it to you, the blonde girl sighed, At least, I get a better percentage now.
"Also, I heard a couple of clients speaking about you before, Sash-y."
"And where's the novelty, Ivy? Since I started to work here, there have been people talking about me behind my back."
"This time it was different: they were praising you!"
What. "For real?" The human girl said, almost squealing out of surprise, stars filling her eyes. Were Wartwood's citizens starting to respect her?
"Yup, they were talking about the market's rent that Toadstool raised, and how you fought against it, and Hop Pop ended up paying for everyone. A couple of them are wives of stand owners, and are quite impressed that you took a stand against Toadstool and his rent raise."
"What can I say, I'm simply amazing." Sasha gleamed once more, fishing for more of an ego boost. Unfortunately, Felicia was still in there and was already set on shooting her down.
"I believe the correct word for it is "reckless", Sasha! Do you realize how risky your action was? Even if you got out unscathed, you could have put yourself in real danger!"
"Because of this "Grime" Hop Pop talked about?"
"Oh, so Hopediah did try to explain it to you."
"Just a bit, and I wasn't listening. Yet, I can guess he's not someone friendly, judging by the reactions everyone had when Hop Pop said his name."
"Captain Grime is the current leader and military commander of Toad Tower, where the Toad garrison resides." Felicia explained with a worried look, looking out of the window as she was expecting for them to flock over Wartwood as she spoke, "The toads who live in there are the fiercest warriors of the Valley, and Grime is the fiercest of them all."
"I heard stories about him as well!" Ivy jumped up and showed Sasha some papers of hers. "He became a gladiator in Newtopia after being condemned for a crime, and he won back his freedom with skill, determination and defeating every adversary he ever faced. Not only did they allow him back in the Toad Army, but they even chose to make him captain of Toad Tower as a way to recognize his abilities."
Sasha (for once) listened carefully as Ivy narrated more and more about this Toad Captain who, according to her, was one of the most ferocious and brutal toad fighters in the whole Amphibia. She had never met him, nor she ever wished to, and yet...
…why did she feel like she already knew him?
"And what does this Captain Grime have to do with…duh, me?"
"Sash, do you know what the main job of the Toad Army is? Keep control of their assigned areas, and defeat any menace to the authority of Newtopia. If that little stunt of yours ended up becoming a full-blown rebellion, they would have come for you, and all of your friends. While your martial arts skills are quite good, I doubt you would have been able to fight a whole army by yourself."
"You're seriously worried about me?" Sasha chuckled, amused (but also touched) by the older frog's worry for her, "If this Grime would ever come to Wartwood, I'd not need to fight his whole army. I'd simply defeat his strongest warrior and impress him so much he would make me his second-in-command."
"And then I'd be sister with the Lieutenant of the Toad Army! That would be so cool!"
"Come on Ivy, I'm not cool already?"
"You are! But then, you would be even cooler!"
Felicia rolled her eyes as both of her daughters (no matter if Hopediah beat her to it this time, she would never see Sasha as anything less than her adoptive daughter) started to discuss about an improbable plan to take over the Toad Army and become the Queen-Sisters of Wartwood. If the Toads DID decide to come, it would not be a good thing. At all.
"Just to know, Sash," Felicia said, trying to change the conversation. "Where are your friends today?"
"Huh, doing their things, I guess? I mean, Maddie did come to tell Marbles to come to her house for a very important thing-"
(…)
"I don't understand, master. What kind of magic do you want to teach me today? And why cannot we do it in the underground lab like usual?" Marcy said, looking at Maddie in front of her. The azure-skinned frog was looking at her with a smile, her arms crossed behind her back, without saying a word as the dark-haired human girl was unsure of what was happening.
"We are not going to learn magic today, Marcy," the young frog finally said, causing even more confusion in Marcy. "To tell you the truth, the reason why I asked you to come, today, was…to give you this."
It was then that Marcy realized that Maddie was holding something in her hands, and it took a few more seconds for her to realize what it was. A carved piece of white wood, resembling a badge with a roaring hippogriff on it. A badge, Marcy knew very well.
"This-this is-"
"I copied the sketch that was in the Cynthia Coven book you lent to me, and Dad helped me by asking Loggle to make a version of it. Thanks to your adventurer friend, he had more moonlight wood than he ever had available, and he agreed to make a badge as close as possible to the one in the image."
Marcy didn't turn around to see Farine share a complicit smile with his eldest daughter, nor did she notice the triplets on her left peeking from the stairs, as Maddie walked up to her, and with a gentle movement, pinned the 1st Level Wizard Badge on her shirt.
"You were a proficient student, you do your best to follow my warnings, you gave me and my family happiness back and you learned so much in such a short time. You learned the basics of all the magic I know and you also helped me formulate and develop new spells that I would have never come up with without you. For this reason, my family and I want to give you this badge to symbolize your achievement in becoming a real wizard."
Marcy stood in silence, trillions of emotions rushing through her, as she realized that her master had basically made her a Level 1 wizard. Then, all of a sudden, all the emotions she was feeling were released, everything at the same time, her mouth expressing a feeling of self-fulfillment, happiness and glee mixed together.
"YEEEEH!" the girl squealed loudly, forcing Farine, Maddie, and the triplets to cover her ears.
"Welp," Rosemary said, sharing a complicit look with her sisters, "Humans apprentices sure are loud."
"Thank, thank you master! I will never let you regret the trust you put on me today, as long as I live I vow-"
"There is no need for you to vow anything," Maddie replied, still amused by her student's propensity for theatrics, having grown accustomed to them by now. "I wasn't lying when I said you have brought back happiness to me and my family. Right, dad?"
"Exactly, Maddie."
"Mister Flour!" Marcy turned around, noticing the adult frog just then, "I didn't realize you were…you were…"
"You don't have to apologize for that, Marcy." The baker said, an expression full of pride in his face. "What Maddie said…it's true. You were Maddie's first friend, you were always there for her, you helped her mend the relationship with her sisters, you gave happiness back to this old frog, and you helped us with our shop. I think that badge is our way to say "thank you."
"Marcy, you're a Hippogriff-class mage now!" Rosemary jumped forward, quickly followed by Lavender and Ginger.
"Next, you're going to be a Griffon."
"And then, a Dragon!"
"We will start with medium level spells tomorrow." Maddie said, showing the human girl an ingredient list for a new powerful spell, "This one, I christened "The Black Cloud…"
(…)
"A pollywog fight squad?"
"Yup, Polly!" Amelia smiled, looking at the youngest blood member of the Plantar family. "Rosemary, Ginger and Lavender made a lot of progress already under my guidance, but they still lack cohesion as they tend to quarrel with each other even during training. They're too competitive to trust each other as leaders, so the only solution is to have someone external take charge."
"And you were thinking of me?"
"You're quite a badass fighter already." The girl wearing the cone-hat said, smiling at her friend. "And Hop Pop already said that you have more responsibility in your flipper than Sprig ever had in his body. Plus, I do believe your leadership would be very useful for the Flour triplets to learn how to fight together."
"So they'd be my underlings?" Polly smiled evilly.
"No, they would be more like students, but they are already my students. You would be team leader and they would be your squad members, soldiers, mooks…ok, underlings."
"Yes!"
"Be careful, however!" Amelia admonished her, "We still need to make sure the squad is a go, and then we have to test a mock fight to see how well you go as a group. You're a good warrior, Polly Plantar, but such skills are not easy to learn from those who aren't innate."
"Oh, Amelia…you're underestimating my power."
"Ok, I've seen enough TV series to tell that's obviously a traitorous face."
(…)
"So, Stumpy, are you sure you don't need me today?" Anne asked her employer, the frog cook was busy making more dishes for the first customers of the day.
"Yes, don't worry." He smiled back at her, "Sure, the diner is packed, but I'll manage. You can have your day off without a problem."
"I guess the rush of the first days is gone, huh? I knew it wouldn't have lasted forever, and yet-"
"Over? Are you kidding? Just because today you see less customers than usual, you think they're getting tired of your cuisine already?"
"It's not that?"
"Nope!" Stumpy shook his head, as to reject the notion, "Actually, the diner is less full today because many of our regular clients cannot afford to come to lunch and dinner every day. They would love to, but they have work to do as well, so they do not have the time to come here."
Anne pondered about the situation, a new idea blossoming in her head "Stumpy, have you considered starting a take-out service?"
"Take-out?"
"You prepare ready-made portions for everyone to buy and consume at their own houses, or whenever they want. My parents used to do that as well, because we couldn't find someone else to help deliver it to our customer's house already."
"That's not a bad idea!| Maybe you could help me with some of those ready-made dishes? Did you have some suggestions?"
"I can make you a list, but as I already said not today. Hop Pop asked me to help him with groceries later on, and he needed someone to remind him about it among the praises."
"Oh yeah, Hopediah was quite generous, paying the rent for the whole market. I never thought I would see the day Good Ol' Hopediah would become the most popular frog in all Wartwood. Truth to be said, I never expected I would find joy in my work too, before I even met you…"
(…)
"Mrs. Croaker, I'm worried that Toadstool wasn't there for our today's session," James leaned on his back, breathing deeply to supply back oxygen in his body. "Do you know if something happened to him?"
"Who, Toadstool?" The old frog laughed. "The only thing that happened to that buffoon is a severe drop in popularity at the polls. He wasn't liked already, but after he tried to extort the farmers with a quadrupled rent, everyone now hates him to the bone."
"Even you?"
"Especially me! I have not forgotten the time he almost ran over Archie with that fancy snail of his." Her little pet-spider barked in reaction, almost nodding. "Yet, I was impressed by Hopediah's action. I always knew Plantars were honest, but not to this extent."
"I guess he really wanted to avoid a conflict?" The boy smiled awkwardly, before he noticed that everyone else, around them, heard that sentence and approved as well.
"I never thought Hop Pop would become the most popular frog in town," Wally sang with an amused look, jumping around playing with his accordion. "And I never thought Toadstool would be talked about more poorly than me!"
The local vagrant is now more popular than the mayor? I guess that's a red flag in case of elections…
(…)
"So, tell me Soggy Joe," Jacob showed him the white-colored flowers he gathered in the forest "is this enough for your little project?"
"Indeed, you're a real ripsnorter kid! I suppose you have questions on why I asked you to pick these flowers…"
"Actually, I have two questions, and my first is: whatever happened to your tongue?" The human teen asked, looking at the missing chuck, resembling a bite, out of the amphibian's tongue "What kind of creepy creature took a bite out of you?"
"Huh, actually that was me." Joe replied, embarrassed to say that out aloud, "I bit it off and-"
Welp, I too bit myself on occasions, but I never take chunks out of my own flesh!
"Ok…" Jacob looked aside, trying to control the weird vibes he was feeling. "And, about your project? Do you need them for some mosquito-repellant moisture? A bait for some large bug?"
"Actually, I was simply planning a new marmalade for my pancakes."
An embarrassing silence ran between the human and the frog.
"…can I taste it first?"
"Sure!"
"Look!" A frog announced, seeing the Plantars, accompanied by Anne, Jacob, James and Amelia, walking toward them. "It's Hopediah Plantar!"
"Good day, Mr. Plantar!"
"How are you, Hop Pop?"
"Greet Mr. Hopediah Plantar, Mabeline."
"Good day to you, Mr. Plantar!"
"Wow!" Hop Pop said, as he kept shaking hands and greeting everyone who greeted him first, a crowd was forming around him and his family. "Being popular…is overwhelming."
"I'm the grandson of the most popular frog in Wartwood!"
"I'm the most adorable pollywog related to the most popular frog! Hey, back on the line you plebs!"
"Excuse us, excuse us…" Anne tried to shield her family as they strive to move among the crowd, "Please, let us pass. We are trying to bring home groceries-"
"Wow, can you believe it James? We have just been promoted to bodyguards."
"Ok, I guess that beats being isolated and feared due to our appearance. It's an abrupt change, but I guess we can manage-"
"Anne! Boys!" A voice called to their right, and the Plantars (originals and adopted) turned to see a blonde human girl, walking toward them accompanied by two yellow-skinned female frogs.
"Sasha!" Anne greeted her friend with a hug, "You're here too?"
"Yup, we had to buy more ingredients for tomorrow's sweets as well." Felicia smirked, looking at her adoptive human daughter. "Plus, someone should check on how much beetle jerky she eats every day."
"But I love it!" Sasha replied, before catching herself, "I can't believe I have just said that."
"Why, you're ashamed you're starting to like bugs?" Jacob chuckled, "We all learned by now. And I like the beetle jerky as well."
"Me too!"
"Seconded! Beetle jerky is so good!" Anne added, looking aside, "Wow, "Wow, Sasha's right. This is really weird to say."
"Guys!" A female voice, who was of course Marcy, yelled in that moment, as their remaining friend rushed toward them, once again tripping and landing on the crowd, causing a domino effect that made everyone fall on the ground.
"Look here!"
"What? If you're just telling us that you got a late physical blooming-" Jacob stopped talking, as Sasha slapped him on the back of his head. "Ow! That hurts!"
"Not as much I wish it would have hurt you!" Sasha looked at the boy with a glare, whispering nearby his ear "Between you and me is fair game, but dare to upset Marbles or Boonchuy and I'll…"
"No, you silly!" Marcy rose back to her feet, showing a white wooden badge on her school uniform. "Check this. Maddie gave me this, to symbolize the fact that I've become a full wizard now!"
"You're officially a wizard now, Mar-Mar?"
"Maddie did that?"
"That's sooo cool!" Amelia looked up with gleaming eyes, my friend is now a wizard!
"Yup. So far I can only do elementary magic, but as I keep studying under her I will become able to do even the most advanced spells that there are! I'm going to become a real combat wizard!"
"Then I guess we have to celebrate this evening!" Hop Pop said with a happy expression, "How about some pill bug pancakes?"
"Ooh! Our favorite!" The humans said in unison, before looking at each other with a disturbed look.
"It's official, we have been here too long already."
"I agree, Sash. Wow, once we return home, re-adapting to Earth cooking is going to be so hard."
As the group walked back to the spot where Bessie was parked, they were quick to notice a new feature on the town plaza. Namely, a large statue of Toadstool kissing a tadpole held by a frog.
"Well, that statue's new."
"And tasteless. Woof!"
"Guy surely has a big ego," Sasha nodded, "Or more probably, needs to overcompensate for something."
"James, I think I pity the artist who was forced to sculpt it."
"I'm surprised that Toadstool decided to put a new one up after the latest events, Jacob. Mrs. Croaker told me that the mayor is now the most unpopular person in Wartwood, isn't he."
"Indeed he is!" Felicia looked at the statue with a scornful glare "I suppose he's trying to rebuild his image and make us forget about his latest attempt to get rich off our backs. Elections are getting closer, after all…"
"No surprise," Ivy shrugged. "I wonder how he is still able to be elected every time. No one likes him!"
"Truth to be told, I wouldn't be too surprised to find he wins only because he's the only candidate."
The group was now approaching Bessie, Hop Pop and Anne were getting ready to load the groceries, when suddenly, the family snail looked away, chirping in distress.
"Whoa, whoa, girl." Anne rushed to the snail's side, trying to calm her down "Easy, easy. What's wrong?"
"Huh, Anne?" James looked in the same direction as Bessie, noticing approaching figures from outside Wartwood. Immediately, Felicia made a sign to Ivy to get behind her, Sprig and Polly did the same with Hop Pop, while Sasha and Jacob got on alert.
Less than a minute later, the kids realized their sudden nervousness was well justified.
A large wagon, with bird skulls and drawn by a giant, scary tarantula, was arriving into Wartwood, driven by toad warriors with scary looks. And behind it, a band of soldiers in armor, all toads and armed with swords, was marching with ominous steps.
"Are they-?"
"Yes, Sasha." Felicia murmured, her voice filled with dread as she put on a defensive position in front of her daughters and friends. "Toad soldiers from Toad Tower."
"I don't understand! Hop Pop, didn't you agree to pay the quadrupled rent because you didn't want Toadstool to report us to them?"
"Indeed, that's what I did Anne!" The old frog said, looking lost "Maybe, they came on their own?"
"I knew we couldn't trust Toadstool! That fat toad backstabbed us!"
"Just stay together, kids, and watch. Before we act, we need to know what is happening."
As the toads approached and came into sight every frog rushed to get out of their path, their eyes betraying fear. The toads paid no attention to them as they proceeded to Wartwood's plaza, the tarantula-drawn wagon stopping right in front of the town hollow.
On the wagon, Bog shared a confused look with Fens and Mire "What the frog is going on? This place was supposed to be in full rebellion, why is everyone acting like this is any other day?"
Mire breathed raspy, while Fens nodded, "Mire's right. We should check with the Mayor, and find out what the fuss was about. And if he was just pranking us…"
Bog nodded in turn, giving a sign order to the other toad soldiers on foot, making them surround the town hollow while Toadstool and Toadie came out with nervous expressions.
"Welcome!" Toadstool said, walking toward the toads in command with open arms and a welcoming expression, "We weren't…expecting you yet."
"Don't you try to swindle us away with words!" Bog replied, walking up to the major with an aggressive scowl, making the mayor sweat coldly. "We received your letter about an upstarting rebellion and we came to quell it! So, where's the rebellion you good-for-nothing?"
"Letter?" Toadie murmured, his eyes moving between his boss and the toad warrior, "You mean…?"
"Oh, that?" Toadstool spoke nervously, trying to come up with something. "You see, it's a very funny story…"
(…)
"What's happening? I cannot hear anything from this far. Sprig, can you understand what they're saying?"
"Nothing at all, Anne." The young frog replied, holding on her friend's head and hair, "Yet, from what I'm able to see, the toads look like they're quite angry at Toadstool. The main one looks like he's reprimanding him."
"Is he?" Sasha chuckled, momentarily amused by Toadstool getting the short stick of the situation, "Then, I guess he can't be the one to have summoned them. Maybe they really did come on their own?"
"Did they came to gather the tax money? Mom, you remember when it was supposed to be?"
"Actually, next tax day is supposed to be the day after tomorrow, Ivy." Felicia nodded, thinking about it, "Maybe they have decided to anticipate it? Hopediah, what do you think, is it possible?"
"The toads want to gather tax money some day earlier? That's unexpected, but credible in the end. I guess I did well with it writing down early. I even made sure the kids learned about it."
Suddenly, all the humans (minus Marcy) got simultaneous thousand-yard stares and haunted expressions as they remembered the dreadful day Hop Pop paid his taxes, and made them watch…
(…)
Hop Pop was in his study, explaining in detail the tax procedures to the six humans. However, while Marcy was all ears and carefully listening to the frog's words, Anne and the others were lying on their chairs looking like they were going to die out of boredom. Considering it was hours since the explanation started, and it was no closer to ending, it could have been possible.
"So then, at this point you add up your deductibles and... Oop! Guess what, kids?"
Marcy raised her hands with an enthusiast look "I know, I know! We are deductibles!"
"That's right, Marbles!"
"Mar-Mar, have mercy on us!"
"Kill me."
"Seriously, when, when this is going to end?"
"Where's Yamato? I need it for my seppuku!"
(…)
The flashback ended as the humans noticed Marcy and the frogs were looking at her with estranged expressions.
"In our defense," Jacob immediately said, "It was a very long and boring lesson!"
"I didn't find it boring at all."
"Mars, you are the only one who thinks that!"
Jacob snickered, trying to repress the memories of what he called "the dullest day of their lives" as he tried to focus on what was happening among the toads and the mayor. "Let's get closer."
"What?"
"Just a couple of steps, to get to a better place and be able to listen into what they're saying."
"I don't know." Felicia murmured, as her adventurer brain, hardened by many battles and skirmishes of the past, started to analyse the overall strength of the whole Toad Force. "They don't look well trained or armed, but surely they are many. I can see at least sixteen toad soldiers, plus the three who were on the wagon."
"Unless some of them have serious martial art training, I doubt they're going to be a match for us. Ivy, I vote for getting closer."
"Seconded!"
"Kids, no!" Hop Pop hurried to say, starting to lecture them, "I understand your curiosity, but they're also a rough sort. Plus, considering the situation, it may be best for you to stay here and far away until…dang, they already left, didn't they?"
"Since you said that you understand their curiosity." Felicia groaned, "Don't worry, I'll check on them." Let's hope my fighting skills will not be needed today.
(…)
"So, let me get this straight." Bog said, summarizing everything Toadstool has said, "There was a rebellion when you sent that letter, but now…there isn't any more?"
"Indeed! Everything's fine now!"
"Likely story. Are you taking us for fools? Should we take you to the Tower for "questioning?"
"It's the truth!" Toadie (albeit still a bit shaken that he sent a letter without telling him, putting the whole Wartwood in jeopardy) "Mayor Toadstool and myself were besieged and we couldn't even leave, unless we agreed to yield."
"They besieged you?"
"Actually, it was the city hollow," Toadstool took the chance to speak again, "There was a crowd surrounding it, and they told us that they would not let us go unless we submitted and agreed to their demands."
"And what were their demands? Remind me."
"The crowd was protesting the recent raise in the rent for the stand of the Farmer's market," Toadie "carefully" left out about the fact that the raise was a quadrupling of the earlier rent, "They didn't try to break in, but by the end of the day, we would have to surrender if they kept going."
"And how did you convince them to leave?"
"Well with my charisma and good diplomacy skills…"
"I told you to not take me as a fool!" Bog yelled in Toadstool's face, his irritation making him grow less and less polite. "Do you expect me to believe you quelled a whole rebellion by yourself, with nothing but your face and tongue? Do you seriously think you can fool us?"
"W-what do you-"
"Oh frog, don't tell me you seriously misunderstood the reason why you ended up becoming the mayor of such an ugly place? You're not here to be liked, we only want you to keep these frogs in order and obey our orders!"
Toadstool took a couple of steps back while under Bog's violent assault, as his words cut through him like knives, as the truth he fought so hard to ignore was laid bare in front of him. That was the reason why he was still the mayor, even after everyone loathed him; the reason why "the whole Valley" voted in the elections to determine Wartwood' new mayor; the reason why he managed to keep his job for so long.
Every town mayor in the Valley was supposed to be nothing more than a pawn for the authority of Toad's Tower and its captain. Someone who could transmit the directives to the lowly frogs, and who could maintain their own citizens and town in check so the toads didn't had to displace real military units to keep the valley under control.
As long as the Toad Army reputed them to be good, they would stay in charge; and yet, if the impression they got was that they were useless and unable to carry out their duty, they would replace them and put in charge another toad to act as their representative.
Will I be replaced as well if they keep on not believing me? Toadstool thought in shock, What will become of Toadie if I end up arrested? What will become of my city?
"Do you know what the most absurd thing in that stinky letter of yours was?" Bog continued, his words becoming more and more mocking, "The monsters! Sure, a rebellion that comes and goes just like that, I could accept it. But, monsters with spindly limbs and bumps in the middle of their faces? There is no way in the whole of Amphibia that such creatures could even exist-"
"Huh, sir?" One of the toad soldiers said with a shocked voice, making Bog turn to the left. And it was then that he saw them.
Looking at them with big eyes, standing tall among the frogs on their elongated spindly limbs, huge heads covered with fur of different color, bumps in the middle of their faces.
Creatures like Bog had never seen before in his whole life. Creatures he would have never believed to be real, before he saw them himself.
"Whoa! What the frog are those? Some kind of gangly new critters I've never seen before!"
"We are called humans," James immediately said, baffled, causing another shock among the toads.
"They can talk too!"
"Captain Grime is right, the locals are breeding monsters!"
"Hey!" Sasha jerked, irritated more at the implication of "breeding" rather than the fact of being called a monster (again).
"I wonder what they taste like."
Hearing Fen's comment, the humans and their friends were quick to grab their weapons. Anne grabbed her tennis racket, Sprig his slingshot, Sasha her pink sword, Jacob his hammer, Ivy her wooden sword, Amelia her katana ("Yamato", as she proudly remembered everyone who forgot its name) while Marcy got out some spells she had ready on her makeshift utility belt and passed some into James's hands.
"Hey! They are not for eating!"
"We are not afraid of you!" Ivy nodded in Sprig's support, focusing on what her mom taught her.
"Don't come any closer."
"Is that a challenge, creatures?"
"It's a warning," Sasha glared back, "You take one step toward my little sister and I, and I'll make sure you need someone to rebuild that face of yours. All things considered, it would be an improvement in comparison to what you look like now."
With a roar, Fens pulled out her mace and charged at the humans with a war cry, several other toads following behind her. Sasha saw her coming and patiently waited until the toad was almost over her, before moving her sword to block the attack of the toad, the impact's blow was enough to make Fen retreat a couple of steps back. Immediately, Sasha took advantage of the opening and struck forward, hitting Fens in the face with the handle of her sword before knocking the mace out of her hand. Fens was disoriented by the unexpected attack and, too confused to defend, could only see Sasha rush to her before the human girl hit her in her chest with a kick from her right foot, sending the assailant toad to the ground.
Meanwhile, around her, the other humans and their friends confronted the other toads, even as Bog and Mire rushed to support Fens.
As Sasha dealt with Fens, Anne fought other toad soldiers, hitting them with her tennis racket while Sprig covered her with his slingshot, shooting at the other approaching toads' faces and giving Anne the momentum to strike back and counterattack. They were assisted by Marcy, using the spells Maddie taught her to make the ground slippery and make the toads trip on each other, or to block them in mucus of yellow glue-like substance, or to make vines and grass grow at top speed and ensnare the onrushing soldiers.
Meanwhile, Jacob hit two toad soldiers with his hammer, pushing them back before focusing on Mire, the coat-covered toad brandishing a war hammer as well, but nowhere near as skilled or agile as the human boy was, as the latter gave him no respite , letting long-repressed emotions fuel his attack. James was busy helping Anne before he noticed another toad soldier who, taking advantage of Jacob's complete focus on Mire (and thus, not noticing the other enemies around him) was trying to hit the teen from behind, and quickly grabbed one of Marcy's spell and threw it at the toad, making his armor melt and leaving him in shorts, forcing the soldier to retreat in shame.
As Jacob kept pounding on Mire, disarming him before knocking him out of combat as well, Amelia swiftly moved on the impromptu battleground, pushing back the remaining soldiers before coming into confronting Bog himself. The hardened toad warrior, seeing the girl with the hat and the sword in her hands, attacked head on, only for his sword thrust to be blocked by the human's own blade.
"What the-" Bog looked in shock, as he realized this creature not only wasn't running in front of him, but she was also holding her ground against him, "It's impossible? What kind of creature are you?"
"The enemy of every bully who hides behind the name of a warrior." The girl smirked, summoning all her anime knowledge to think of something samurai-like to say, "I am an honored samurai, of the land of the Rising Sun!"
Then, before Bog could ask for clarification, the girl moved aside, letting Bogs' impetus and the precarious equilibrium of his legs made him fall face flat on the ground, jumping on him to stop him from getting up again.
"There is where you belong!" Polly yelled from Amelia's back, "Down at our feet!"
"Huh, Polly? You don't have feet…"
"Not yet, but soon, I will!"
The battle had lasted for less than a few minutes, but surely it got an animated public, as all the Wartwood's frogs who watched the fight cheered when Bog was defeated and the last of his soldiers dropped to the ground as well, the humans and their allies now the masters of the field.
No blood had been spilled, and yet, the human's victory had been total.
"You-you…" Bog strived to talk, the weight of Amelia blocking him to the ground.
"Seriously, these are the best warriors of the Valley?" Sasha said, walking up to him and leaning to his face, "What a joke!"
"Sasha!" Felicia walked in, scolding her and her daughter, "You don't mock fallen enemies, that's just inviting more danger. And you, young lady, did you forgot my lessons? Your flank was open in several moments."
"But mom…"
"No buts, Ivy. I know that it is difficult to remember it, in the middle of a battle, but losing sight of the basics is the most dangerous way to expose your weaknesses in combat."
"I…I know, I'm sorry."
Meanwhile, Toadstool and Toadie walked up to Bog, as Fens, Mire, and some soldiers struggled to get back on their own feet, the mayor struggling to hide his amused look behind a fake façade of wariness.
"As you can see, I didn't lie about the creatures I talked to you about."
"So, you DID tell them," Sasha snapped with inquisitor eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"
"It's not like you think!" Toadie rushed to explain, "Technically, he did write a letter, but that was before Hop Pop offered a compromise and…"
"Seriously, dude?" Anne walked to Sasha's side. "You called these guys to quell our protest?"
"You were trapping me in my own house, and you were also using that delicious food smell to force me to surrender!" The mayor retorted back, "And by the time Hop Pop came to me with a solution, I already had sent it."
"And why didn't you think of warning us?" Amelia sniped, "You could have least warned us to expect these guys."
"Well done, creatures!" Bog laughed as he got back on his feet "I don't know what kind of monsters you are, but you sure know how to fight!"
"I have to admit, that was awesome."
Seriously, we managed to impress them? Sasha thought in wonder, sensing a golden chance to not waste.
"Okay, kids. That's enough flirting with death. Let's head home."
"Wait, why can't you stay a little longer?" Toadstool interjected, looking at the humans with a hopeful expression, "I am sure your testimony will be precious to clear up the misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding? You mean these guys didn't just try to eat us?"
"Come on, come on. I am sure once you start to talk with each other, the issue will be easily resolved. Can I trust you to reassure the representatives of Toad Tower of our intentions? Thank you Toadie and I will be busy with another "urgent" matter."
"But sir-" Toadstool nudged him on the shoulder. "Oh, right. That urgent issue you talked with me about." They walked back in the hollow.
"This is not their problem!" Hop Pop protested, seeing how the mayor was shamelessly passing the responsibility to his children, "Come on kids, let's go home!"
Marcy and Amelia rushed to Bessie and got with the other Plantars, while Ivy walked back to her mom. Yet, Anne and Sasha did not move.
"Girls?"
"Actually, we were thinking we could hang out with these guys a little longer. I mean, Toadstool did have some points that we can solve the problem."
"Plus, they don't look too bad." For toads, Sasha added in her mind.
"Fine," Hop Pop sighed, having known the girls long enough to know he couldn't stop them. "But don't dally too long!"
"Let's go, Ivy." Felicia walked by "I guess your sister has…things to do."
"Anna-Banana, Sash, are you sure?"
"Don't worry about us, Mar-Mar. We are just cleaning up a misunderstanding, and we'll be back in no time."
"Ok, I'll be with Maddie if you look for me."
"I guess I have some real time to train Polly and her new companions," Amelia smirked, realizing she had the underground training room all by herself, "Now, where's that fool of-"
James jumped on Bessie, a scowl on his face. Immediately, Hop Pop realized something was wrong: since he took the kids under his wings, he had never seen James angry.
"James, what happened? Where's Jacob?"
"He'll come later. He and I had a chat with…each other…"
(…)
(a couple of minutes earlier, a lone corner nearby:)
"Jacob, how can you still act in such a manner? You were too careless!"
"I was being a badass!" The boy in the mock-Viking hat replied. "I was fighting toads with my war hammer like a real warrior. Why can't you appreciate my efforts?"
"You also completely disregarded what was happening around you. If I didn't cover your back the whole fight, you would have ended up hurt, or worse!"
"I didn't ask you to come in my support! Plus, if you joined me instead of worrying we wouldn't have needed protection at all!"
"What? Are you kidding me?" James replied in shock, "You were acting like a reckless fool! Amelia was right about you!"
That hurt, as Jacob grinded his teeth. Maybe it was the emotions rushing through his body, the anger at the fact that, deep down, he knew he was acting in a dangerous way during the fight, but he didn't want to acknowledge it; maybe it was an automatic reaction, as he misunderstood James' worry for him as a scolding; or maybe, it was the fact that James dared to say Amelia was right about him, without knowing the whole story behind their conflict. Either way, it didn't matter.
Anger was a powerful emotion, one who could drive mild people to revenge plans spanning their whole lives, or who could destroy even the most resilient of bonds. It could open doors that many people usually kept closed, and make them say things that were usually left unsaid.
Things that really hurt.
"And who are you to pass judgment over me?" Jacob retorted, too angry to see the venom in his words, "Amelia, is my cousin. I know the girls, and they know me. What about you? DO you think you know us, like we know each other? You're not one of us, James! You didn't know any of us before we ended up trapped in this place. The only reason why you're here with us is because when Anne opened the box, you were playing peeping tom!"
James took a step back, as the boy's words slashed through him. If the boy had opted for a more physical reaction, and used his hammer to hit James in the face, he would have hurt him less than this. Every fear James had run from, every shadow he tried to cast away, every truth he tried to deny, Jacob laid in front of him, his cruel words reminding James that no, he wasn't one of them. And this reminder, made him mad.
James was a sweet boy, thus his gentle and charitable personality often made people forget he also had a tall and muscular stature. Just like Jacob at this instant, who reacted in shock as James suddenly grabbed him by the collar, slamming him into a nearby wall, blocking him in his place.
Both teens growled, looking straight at each other, not showing any sign of weaknesses. Then, as if he finally realized what he is doing, James let Jacob go.
"Jacob-"
In response, the boy turned his back to him, as he did with various toads before, and walked away. A little voice in his voice screaming that he was being reckless again, but right now he didn't care at all.
"I'm taking some time alone to think. Don't come and look for me; I'll return when I've made up my mind. Until then…stay away from me."
James stood there, looking with anger as Jacob walked away from him, out of Wartwood and into the woods that surrounded the town. Only after the other boy had disappeared from his sight, he made his reply. Cold, as the ice that still blocked the passage out of Frog Valley.
"I'll stay away from you, fine. Hope you can watch your own back as well."
(…)
"So, he's not coming for lunch?"
"No, he said to not wait for us. We can simply divide his part."
"I'm eating his pancakes!"
"No way, I'm eating them!"
"Polly, Amelia, no need to quarrel. There will be plenty of pancakes for both of you!" Hop Pop said, before looking one last time at Sasha and Anne "Girls, I trust you won't end up in trouble."
"We won't."
The old frog grumbled, not believing an ounce of it, but he pulled the reins and made Bessie move away, leaving the two girls alone with the toads.
"So…" Anne turned around to face them, "We didn't have the chance to formally introduce yet, mister…"
"Name's Bog. The silent one there is Mire. And the other is Fens."
"And you two…do you have a name?"
"I'm Sasha Waybright," the blonde girl smiled, "and she's Anne Boonchuy, my best friend."
"The way you were fighting before," Fens said, looking at Sasha, "Those fancy moves, what were they?"
"Tai Chi. I've been practicing it for years."
"And that sword?" Bog looked at the pink sword on Sasha's side. Where in frog's name did she find a Toad-made heron sword?
"Just something I found around. Very useful to protect yourself."
Bog realized that Sasha wasn't telling him the whole truth. Was she deliberately not telling more than she had to? The creature sure looked ugly, but acted like a real toad.
"I've never seen beings like you before. Where on Amphibia do you come from?"
"Sorry, but…" Anne shrugged "we are not from this world."
"Huh?"
"I know this might be a little too much for you to understand, but… we are creatures from another world."
"Another world?"
"Yup." Sasha interjected "The one Boonchuy and I came from is called Earth."
Behind Bog, some of the soldiers looked at each other with looks of disbelief. Another world beyond their own? Filled with creatures they couldn't even imagine? How many of such creatures there were?
"And how did you and the others end up here?"
"We don't know," Sasha lied, not willing to reveal about the box to these guys yet. "One moment, we were in our world, and the next … we ended up in the woods around Wartwood, with no idea where we were or how to get back home."
Bog's eyes widened, as his mind (finally) remembered something that had happened a while ago: a strange object, found by a patrol in the middle of the woods, and that Grime sent to Newtopia. A bright yellow item, resembling a boot but smaller and made with unknown materials.
An object that Bog now could see at one of those creatures' feet. So, it was theirs after all…
"Everything ok?" The blonde one said, looking at him with a quizzical look.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine."
"Good, because we do have questions for you as well. First, what are you guys doing in Wartwood?"
"We received a message from the mayor of this city, telling us that frogs were no longer listening to him, and that a revolt was breaking out. Since we have a duty to maintain order in all towns of Frog Valley, Captain Grime sent us to check on the situation and if the locals needed our help. Plus, the rumors of strange creatures in there alarmed the captain, who asked us to report to him."
"Figures," Sasha grumbled. "Well, the mayor got it all wrong. We weren't rebelling, we were contesting the mayor's unfair decision to quadruplicate the rent for the whole Farmer's market. Did he tell you that he was going to bankrupt many people? And that he gave them three days to pay it all?"
"He didn't." Bog replied, unsure what to think about it. Sure, the tax levies were being increased, but why did Toadstool act as if he had to gather the tax money all of a sudden?
"Well, the Captain told us to check the whole situation, and report to him. You two look like you know this place, and the locals trust you. We could use people like you."
"So, you want us to mediate between you and the people here?" Anne asked, doubtful.
"Yes, we don't want to intrude too much. Plus, it seems like you were involved already, your testimony could help us speed up our work and cleanse any doubt we may have."
"That…doesn't sound too bad after all. What do you think, Sash?"
"I don't have work at the teashop this afternoon, and these guys look like they can appreciate us. I'm in!"
"Great. I just…need to tell one thing to Ferns. Excuse me, it will take only a moment."
"Bog, what are you doing?" Ferns faced him once they were far enough to not be heard. "You're acting too friendly with these monsters! Why can't we simply arrest them and get the answers we want?"
"Before we start arresting, we need to locate the rebellion's leader or we might risk losing it. Ferns, take Mire and half of the soldiers available and follow that old frog from before to where they live. I suspect he may be the rebel we are looking for. Find his home, get the proof we need and then arrest him and all of his family. Meanwhile, I'll grind these two for information. They have good fighting skills, and I wasn't kidding when I said we could need them."
"And what makes you think they'll join us?"
"Ferns, the yellow-furred one looks like she's in charge of the other, and she act more like a toad than a frog. They just do not know it…yet."
"Stupid James and his stupid warnings! I can't take care of myself? How can I start taking care of myself if every time I make the slightest mistake, they take it as irrefutable proof I cannot manage? How can I learn, if they do not allow me to learn from my mistakes?"
"Kid, you alright?"
"Soggy Joe," Jacob said, recognizing the frog to his left, "Sorry but I'm not in the mood for pancakes now."
"Oh. Want to tell me what happened?"
"Why? I don't think you can understand what I'm feeling."
"Maybe not, but surely it can help you vent all that anger. And being angry is never a good thing."
"Why, because I should be superior, forgive and forget and other silliness?"
"No, because when you're angry you're less wary and attentive to the danger around you. For example, the snake-flies to your right…"
Jacob jerked back, moving his hammer and hitting the snake-like bug, launching his forward. The animal, still alive (albeit quite hurt by the sudden attack) hissed as he retreated, the chance lost of attacking the human.
"Wow, you saw that?"
"First rule when moving in a forest, kid: always be wary of what happens around you. Sight alone is not enough to see all the possible dangers!"
"Well, I did fight it off…"
"That's because I warned you. If I didn't, how long would have you got before he bit and poisoned you?"
Jacob moved to reply, before he felt cold dread spreading all over his tongue. This situation sounded…painfully familiar.
"Kid, you alright?"
"Sorry, Joe. It's just that…"
"…you're feeling irked, because my words are somewhat close to the reason you are upset in the first place?"
"How do you know?"
"It's written on your face. Kid, you really look like you need some sugar. Are you in the mood for some more pancakes?"
"I guess so? I mean, I haven't had lunch yet either…"
(…)
"Marcy, you ok?"
"I'm fine, Maddie. Why do you ask?"
"You've mixing that potion in the cauldron for a while now. They are inert materials yet, you don't look like you're very focused today."
"I am sorry, master. I mean, Maddie. It's just that…I'm still a bit shaken after meeting those toads from before."
"Oh, them?" Maddie jerked, grimacing in disgust. "They don't care about Wartwood or us: they only came to get the taxes, and to pillage the belongings of those who cannot pay."
"Wait, they pillage?"
"Happened to our shop on some occasions. They said that we didn't pay our taxes in full, so they came and got whatever we had to make up for it. Luckily, I learned some safe spot where to hide my spell books and my sister's belongings."
"Wow…I'm sad that happened to you. Do you know anyone in Wartwood who lived that as well?"
"I think everyone in Wartwood ended up suffering such a fate at least once. The thing I cannot understand is why it keeps happening! The toads say we come short with our taxes, but my family always pays in full! My father always makes sure to properly do his taxes, every year!"
"Hop Pop does too!" Marcy chuckled, the funniness of the notion able to dispel her gloom, "He taught us how he does that; though I was the only who stood awake until the end of the lesson-"
"Come on, Toadie!"
Marcy and Maddie blinked, as they heard Toadstool's voice near to them. The two girls (one human, the other frog) peeked out of the shrubs to see Toadstool walking with wariness, followed by Toadie holding a large bag with difficulty.
"Come on. While the townsfolk are preoccupied, we must put our honest earnings in the hideout we prepared for this very reason."
"Coming, sir."
The girls stood in silence as the mayor and his assistant walked past them, something small and shiny dropping out of the bag Toadie was carrying and into the ground. They waited until they disappeared from their sight, before Maddie grabbed it with her tongue.
"Wait, this is a copper piece! Marcy, they were carrying a bag full of coins!"
"Maddie, why would the mayor carry so much money in secret? And why-"
The human girl stopped talking, as her hyperactive brain started to process the information available, what she heard and saw, to come to a logical conclusion. In a few seconds, all dots connected, all the puzzle' pieces came in their place as she came to a realization.
The toads pillaging the villagers.
People were ransacked even as they claimed to have paid their taxes.
The money.
The bag.
The secret.
Toadstool.
"Toadstool is embezzling the city's money!" Marcy gasped, not seeing the shock in her master's face as well.
"No way!" Maddie said, as she started to think about it as well. "That explains the people accused of not paying taxes. And the lack of maintenance. And all those promised town improvement constructions. And the school which hasn't been rebuilt yet. And-"
"We must tell everyone!"
"Wait, Marcy. We cannot simply go around and tell them what we saw." Maddie said, her expression twisting into an evil, witch-like smile, "How about we follow them and find where they're hiding the money?"
Marcy smiled in turn. "Team Mardie, go!"
(…)
Back at the Plantar's farm, lunch was now over and so every family member was busy with an activity of their choosing: Amelia was training with Polly and Maddie's sisters, in the underground armory/training room; Sprig and Hop Pop were playing a game of Flipwart and James was in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes.
Or rather, sulking over the dishes.
Why I do even care about Jacob? The boy thought as he strived to clean up the plate, I helped him and did he thank me? Did he at least appreciate my work? No, he accuses me of not doing enough, and when I try to call him out on his foolish behavior, he reminds me that I am, that I am not…
The boy leaned forward, feeling pain to his heart. The hidden truth he strive to ignore; now he couldn't hide it anymore.
…one of them.
Tears leaking from his eyes, joining the dirty water in the sink, pain and sadness running through his body. No matter what he did, no matter how much he strive to be accepted, he would never be one of them.
He was just some unlucky guy, who was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and that he ended up trapped with them. He was an intruder, like a stowaway hiding on a ship.
"Got your last frog. Whoo! You lose. Oh, yeah!"
Judging by the words he could hear from the living room, Hop-Pop had beaten Sprig, and he was being a sore winner at it too. For a moment, James shook his head, wishing Marcy was here to give Hop Pop a taste of his own medicine.
Or, he could challenge Hop Pop. He wasn't an avid player at Flipwart like Marcy or Amelia were, but he knew enough about the game to play it.
"No one likes someone who wins and brags about it, HP." The British boy walked in the living room while drying his hands. "Even worse, that'd your grandson you're mocking. Shame on you!"
"James- what happened to your eyes?" The old frog noticed they were wet, "Were you crying?"
"No, I was just…I was cleaning the dishes and I guess I touched them with my wet hand…"
Hop Pop didn't look convinced, and yet, he decided to not press on the argument, looking for an alternative. "So…any idea when Anne and Sasha are returning home? They told us not to worry, and yet…"
"Huh, Hop Pop?" Sprig said, looking out of the window "Why are there toads all around the farm?"
James and Hop Pop, alarmed by Sprig's words, rushed to check. Indeed, a sizable part of the toad soldiers who had come to Wartwood earlier were now encircling around the farm, as if they were going to storm it.
"What the frog is happening?"
(…)
"Are they…tomatoes?"
"They're cultivating those?"
"And what the frog are those things? I've never seen such farm items before?"
Ferns looked silently at the farm, striving to ignore her troop's comments behind her. When Bog told her to follow those frogs, she wasn't expecting that much: find the hole of the frog, barge in and scare him into submission and make him spill all they wanted to know.
But, now?
Now, Ferns realized their work might have been a little more difficult than they had expected to. This "Hopediah Plantar", as he was called, wasn't only a farmer. According to the frogs she had interrogated, when those monsters first appeared, he was the one to take them under his roof, against any kind of common sense, and under his command they defeated the giant tomatoes, bringing seeds that they were currently cultivating and harvesting; he was the one who dared to disobey to a Toad, when he asked him to relinquish those creatures; and it was he who took advantage of the rebellion to pay of his pocket the rent for everyone, buying the loyalty of the farmers and setting them against their mayor.
Ferns had no doubt: this Hopediah Plantar, was the one behind the rebellion that was blooming in Wartwood. By consequence, he was the one who was their enemy.
"Hopediah Plantar! Come out of the farm unarmed and with your arms raised!"
The farm's door opened, and Hopediah Plantar, accompanied by a smaller, younger frog (his grandson, maybe?) and one of those monsters. Ferns held tightly on her mace, while the soldiers behind her waited with their swords ready for a fight.
"What's happening?"
"Hopediah Plantar, you're guilty of treason and rebellion against Toad's rule and Newtopia' authority. Surrender, or we will make you!"
"Say what?"
"Rebellion, are you kidding us?" James protested, walking up to Ferns "Hop Pop is not-"
The last thing the boy heard, before feeling pain on his right arm, was Fern's gloating expression as she swung her mace toward him.
"So, the sword you're carrying-"
"It's an old memorabilia of the frog family currently hosting us that we're allowed to use." Sasha replied, looking at Bog. So far, the large toad and his soldiers had acted quite amicably, even if she couldn't help but notice their disdain for frogs. Was this a mere class thing, or there was real hate toads had toward frogs?
"It's crafted with exquisite craftsmanship, and from its design you can say it was Toad-made."
"Well, we had several of such weapons," Anne nodded. "One of their late relatives was a great warrior, and she left various items of her past."
Bog shuddered inside, but he tried not to show it. So, these creatures lived with a family hiding an armory? That was bad news, especially if the town was no more accepting Toad's predominance.
"And, what about the rumors about more creatures sighted in the woods of the Valley?"
"We faced those as well. Apparently, it was only a misunderstanding due to a merchant seeing a ruined tree at night, and mistaking it as a creature looking like one of us. Thus-"
"It's Fens and the others!" One of the Toad soldiers yelled, "They're back! And they've got prisoners as well!"
Sasha and Anne turned around, only for their blood to grow cold as they realized who those prisoners were: Hop Pop, Sprig and James, the latter with a broken arm and looking pounded like a rag.
"It's him, Bog!" Fens said, "He's the one promoting rebellion!"
"What?"
"We have witnessed him growing tomatoes, and his farm is filled with unknown tech we do not understand. Plus, he's the one who set the farmers against the mayor, by pretending to pay their rents! Let's bring him to the Tower so he can be properly executed!"
"Executed?" Anne and Sasha yelled at the same time, as Bog smirked evilly at them.
"He will, for his crime. Meanwhile you two, I offer you a choice: either you join us, or join them in our prison as well."
Sasha took a step back, as she faced the crossroad in front of her, unsure about what to do. For the first time in her life, Sasha Waybright, queen bee of St. James Middle School and de-facto leader of the trio, didn't know what to do. But then, as she looked back behind Bog, he glimpsed Felicia and Ivy, her adoptive mother and sister, looking at her, Felicia with worry, Ivy with sadness.
Sasha's eyes met Ivy's for less than a second, but in that moment, the girl remembered what she was striving for. What she wanted for. What her goal was. Who she trusted in this place.
And more specifically, who was her enemy.
"No."
Now it was Bog the one taken aback by his opponent's words "What do you mean?"
"I said no. You can't take away Hop Pop. Sure, his cooking skills are still crummy, and he always acts bossy when we work on the farm, and he's so full of his "back on my days" garbage. And yet, I'm not letting you take him away, for a rebellion that didn't exist before you came here. Or rather, didn't exist yet."
Sasha grabbed her sword, once again ready to face the toads, her glare growing angry and spiteful. "I'm giving you an ultimatum: release them, leave this town and never harass the frogs here anymore. Do it, and we may leave you leave…peacefully."
Bog laughed, amused by the menace. "Do you realize who you're facing you beast? I am one of Captain Grime's best soldiers. You may have won earlier, but this time, you do not have surprise on your side. And you're alone!"
"Who said she is alone?" Anne roared, moving to her friend's side.
"Boonchuy, what are you-"
"You're not the only ones to know martial arts, Sash. And I'm not leaving you alone!"
Sasha smiled, comforted by the fact Anne decided to stick to her side even with all the odds against them. Meanwhile, Bog simply shrugged.
"How disappointing, to think you two could become toad deputies. Do you know how traitors and monsters are treated among toads, you freaks?"
"Do you think we care?" Sasha replied coldly "I'd say, bite me!"
"With pleasure!" Fens snapped, rushing into attack once again.
This time, the girls were alone, and the toads were focusing on them, so Sasha couldn't take a more risky approach and attack Fens on her own. The two girls were skilled, and with Anne's Muay Thai and Sasha Tai Chi's they were able to hold on their own against Fens and the soldiers behind her. There were too many however, and soon, the girl's situation became very dire.
"Hahaha!" Fens laughed with malice, as she managed to corner Anne, getting ready to break her arms like James's was "Now I have y-"
Yet, before she could strike, or even complete her line, something else impacted on her mouth, launching the toad back, her mouth now with much less teeth than before, while a human boy with a Viking hat, holding his large war hammer with both hands.
"Did you throw a party, and no one invited me?"
"Jacob!" The girls shouted as they recognized their friend, "Where have you been?"
"I needed some solo time…with a friend." As he said, the toads heard a monstrous yell, as Soggy Joe jumped on the battlefield, the survivalist frog holding a large tree branch as a club. Some toads tried to attack him, but found out the hard way he was no pushover, repelling them while Jacob rushed to assist the prisoners.
"Move, Hop Pop!" Jacob said, as the Plantar's head of family and his grandson ran to the girls, Sprig retrieving his slingshot to assist Anne, "I'll take care of James."
"Jacob? What are you…?"
"I came to set right what I made wrong the first time, bro." The boy replied, his voice a mix of atonement and realizations. "I know, I was an idiot: you wanted to help me, by pointing out what I did wrong because you cared about me, but I could not see it, or maybe I could, but I was too ashamed to admit it. Anyway, I had no right to say such harsh and cruel things, things that I didn't mean to say-"
"Jacob?"
"I know I'm not worthy of being forgiven already, and even if you do-"
"Jacob?"
"I just want to say-"
"Jacob, behind you!"
The boy turned around, just in time to avoid Mire hitting him, before counterattacking with the handle of his hammer. "I…didn't pay attention to my back again?"
"Let's focus on the battle first; then we'll talk…bro." James smiled, as Jacob realized the meaning.
"Wo-oooh!" Another voice, this time female, yelled in the direction of the farm, as a large pumpkin creature, led by a cone-hatted girl in a samurai outfit and four pollywogs trained in the art of combat joined the battle."
"Is that…Pepo?" Anne asked in amazement.
"No way," Sasha muttered, "Amelia managed to get it out of the basement?"
They have giant vegetable mounts as well?, Bog wondered, as he tried to coordinate his soldiers to repel the new menace. Uselessly, as the giant Pumpkin tore a path among them, the human girl with a sword and the four pollywogs she trained jumped into the fray and cutting through his troops like a sharp blade in cowpillar's butter.
And that was not the end of it.
The battle was happening, like the one earlier, in the middle of Wartwood's central plaza, for all the frogs to see. At first, many of them were too scared, or intimated, or convinced there was nothing they could do to oppose the toads directly. Yet, as they saw the humans fight side by side, aided by their few allies, and managing to hold their ground against all odds, something started to change inside of them.
Was this hope? Was there actually hope to change their future for the better? Did they want to help Hop Pop and his family, out for the help he gave them just a short time before? Or maybe, they were simply tired to bow and obey, and they all secretly wished to fight back?
No one knew and no one cared. The only thing that mattered, was that Bog and his goons were attacking Hop Pop and his family, including the "humans". No matter how weird they looked, they were part of Wartwood, just like them.
And no one could hurt them.
"Leave my daughter alone!" Felicia rushed to Sasha's side, covering her flank with swift, merciless attacks.
"Yeah, you leave them alone!" Wally joined, using his accordion as a weapon.
"I got a little something for ya!"
"You toads like to pick on some kids?"
"If you got a problem with them, you got a problem with all of us."
"You mess with the Plantars, you mess with the whole of Wartwood!"
Soon, the tide shifted, slowly but without pausing, as the toads found themselves losing ground, their enemies kept becoming stronger with everyone who joined them. Ferns was the first to fall, unable to face Jacob, Loggle and Soggy Joe at the same time; then it was Mire's turn, as Anne disarmed him while Mrs. Croaker and Wally cooperated in immobilizing him. To add insult to injury, when he fell down his helmet opened, revealing he looked much less scary than everyone pictured him to be.
It was only Bog now, and a small group of soldiers, with no chance for them to win or even successfully retreat. Maybe it was also for this, that the Toad went for a desperate move. As his eyes glanced on Ivy, successfully jumping among his soldiers and avoiding being hit, his eyes filled with fury, and he charged, trying to hit her with his hammer.
And yet, before his hammer could lay on the young frog, something else blocked his attack.
"What-"
"Don't you dare touch her." Sasha roared, her heron sword blocking the Toad's attack. "Don't you dare touch her!"
For a second, Bog believed to have seen something in the human's eye, like a pink flash of light in the girl's iris, before Sasha hit his hands, forcing him to drop his hammer. Then, the girl moved again, and with a powerful kick of her knee, she attacked the Toad's most vulnerable point.
The one where the Sun is never supposed to shine.
A crunching sound, like a beetle squashed under an armored boot, was clearly heard as Bog fell, his mind unable to withstand the agony, making him wince.
"Oohoohohohohohooowwwooowah!" The toad screamed in pain, every male human, toad or frog present (even Pepo) wincing in sympathy, many of them looking away and groaning. As for the girls…
"That sounded like it hurts," Mrs. Croaker winced.
"My frog, what brutality!" Felicia looked away.
"That hurt, and I'm a girl!" Amelia said in shock.
"I'm a girl, I don't even have my legs yet, and yet, I felt that too." Polly commented.
"Us too!" Maddie's triplet sister joined as well.
"Anne?" Sprig looked at her friend, standing silently with a horrified expression, "Are you…surprised by Sasha's display of ferocity?"
"NO." Anne simply replied, terrified and phased at the same time.
As fell unconscious, the blonde girl looked at the remaining toads still on their feet. Needless to say, the odds of the situation (as well as Sasha's display of brutality) was more than enough to convince all of them to surrender.
It was then that Marcy and Maddie arrived.
"Guys, guys!"
"Mar-Mar, are you ok?"
"Marbles, you just miss the epic fight."
"I did? Sad. However, I have some dramatic news to share! Maddie and I have found out why many people were accused of not paying their taxes even if they did: your mayor is embezzling money!"
"What?" Everyone gasped, looking at Toadstool with an accusing glare. The toad, for his own part, smiled nervously, trying to understand how these two could know.
"This is false! There isn't any proof!"
"You want proofs?" Maddie looked at him with anger, "Jacob, smash that statue."
"Which one, that?"
"Yes!"
"No! I mean, it's just my newest statue and…"
But before Toadstool could come up with a credible story, the boy walked up to the statue, and with a powerful strike of his hammer, broke it, all the coppers hidden inside of it dropping to the ground.
"No-good son of a slug!"
"This is why he raised the rent all of a sudden!" Marcy went on to explain, "This is why your city is crumbling and no maintenance is ever done. He has been embezzling public funds for his personal gains, for years!"
Everyone looked at Toadstool with fury, Toadie striving to hide behind him.
"Come on people, I needed the extra money for my campaign." The mayor tried to explain, attempting to justify his blatant theft, "Do you have any idea how much it costs to buy back your love? And the prices go up every year!"
The citizens walked up to him, many of them (principally, farmers whose lives were threatened when the quadrupled rent risked shutting their stands) grabbed produce in their hands, preparing to throw them.
"Uh... And as mayor, I hereby pardon myself of any wrongdoing. Thank you and good day-" he tried to run, only for Wartwood's law enforced to stop him cold on his tracks.
"Toadstool," Sheriff Buck Leatherleaf handcuffed him instantly, "for the crimes of embezzling public funds and corruption, I hereby declare you under arrest. As you are the one accused, you can't pardon yourself nor any of your accomplices. Come on, the town's prison is waiting for you!"
"No, this cannot be!" Toadstool cried as both he and Toadie were led to the Prison, being pelted with rotten produce on the way. "I did it for your own good! I'm not the bad guy!"
Later that day, the toads left Wartwood, this time definitively. In exchange for being left free and unharmed, the few soldiers who managed to surrender during the fight were tasked with leading the tarantula-led wagon back to the Tower. Bog, Fern and Mire were in the back, tied with strong ropes, while the rest of the soldiers, still feeling the bruises of the fights, walked behind it. Not only would they have to return without any money of the taxes (the ones which Toadstool stole, were back in their rightful place by now), but under Sasha's guidance, they were forced to concede their weapons and armors, who were then "seized" and placed in the Town Hollow.
Of course, neither Bog nor Ferns accepted their defeat, and promised revenge.
"You creatures don't understand." Bog yelled, struggling in the ropes "There's no way Captain Grime will accept what has happened today. Once he knows, we will return, with a bigger army, and we will crush you!"
"Send all the armies you can, you don't scare us anymore!" Felicia replied back.
Bog grumbled before his eyes focused again on the blonde-furred creature at Felicia's side "And you… we still have an opening, if you're interested. I've seen you fight: you may live among frogs, but you're a toad inside. Leave this place, and come with us to the Tower. The captain would like to have someone like you!"
Sasha chuckled, almost embarrassed by the pathetic attempt to win her over, as she smiled at Anne and Marcy nearby her. "My name is Sasha Waybright, and my place is with my friends and my family. And if you, or any other toad even dare to come here ever again…" she cracked her knuckles, making the toads shiver as they remembered what she did already, "You will regret it. End. Of. Discussion."
Bog grumbled again, making a visual sign to the toad leading the wagon, as the tarantula started to move, the wounded-filled wagon and the beaten soldiers behind it. Was this what defeat tasted like? Surely, it tasted bitter.
"At least, our mission was technically a success," Fens tried to say, her voice distorted by her now missing teeth, "We are going to tell Captain Grime about those creatures, and everything we saw and found?
"Oh, we're going to tell the captain everything." Bog replied, and his voice resounded with revenge. He didn't know when they would be back, but he knew they would. And when they returned, they would make those creatures pay.
"Three cheers for the new defenders of Wartwood!" Wally exclaimed as everyone started to cheer the humans
"Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!"
Sasha smiled, as she realized they did it, and they now were officially accepted and respected by Wartwood's citizens. She hugged with Anne and Marcy, Ivy at her side, while Jacob and Amelia rushed at James', his broken arm now held in a cast.
"James, I'm sorry for what happened today…"
"Don't be, Jacob. Sure, we had our bad times, but I think we can now face our respective issues, and we can use this event to grow as people. Also, I have to tell you: Amelia was wrong."
"Excuse me?" The wannabe samurai looked at them.
"It's… a personal matter, Amelia. Guy talk. Now, who wants to sign my cast?"
"Me, me! I'm his bro!
"Jacob, no way! James is my book partner, I'm going first!"
"Stand down, Marbles! As the one who kicked those toads away, I have privilege!"
"Me! Out of the way, you plebes."
"Oi! I can't write!
(…)
When Bog and his soldiers returned to Toad Tower, beaten down and still feeling the bruises of the beatings they received, they were immediately confronted by Captain Grime, anxious to hear what was happening in Wartwood, and whose mood was absolutely not good nor merciful today.
"So, the rumors were true?"
"Indeed, sir." Bog nodded, still in disbelief that he lost, "Wartwood in now in full rebellion, the frogs having been swayed and won over by those monster the mayor described in his letter."
"So, it was true? The locals are breeding spindly monsters with bumps on their faces?" Grime looked doubtful. He knew Bog wouldn't lie (mostly, because he was too dumb to be able to), but still the fact that such monstrous creatures existed for real was difficult to accept for him.
"And they're also developing new vegetables to use against our troops. They have tamed tomatoes, and also developed huge monstrous pumpkins. We had to retreat; otherwise we wouldn't be able to tell you what happened."
"So, a rebellion had been born in Wartwood. What about the other towns?"
"No idea yet, sir." Another toad said, checking some half-written notes. "We had no news yet, so we can assume the rebellion had not spread yet. However, it's only a matter of time before the word of mouth spreads, and once they find out they managed to drive our troops out, many others will join them!"
Grime covered his forehead with his left hand, as he felt a powerful headache coming up, wondering how he was going to fix this whole mess. His troops were in disarray; their morale had plummeted; one of the most populated settlements of the Valley was now in full rebellion, and many others were at risk of joining it; their enemy had self-bred monsters and creatures to unleash against his troops, and with the pass still blocked, there was no way to receive reinforcements from Newtopia or the other towers before the snow melted. And even if he did request reinforcements, Grime could not know if those arrogant newts wouldn't blame it all on him and use it as an excuse to have him deposed.
He would not fail, not again. Never again.
Before Bog could follow on his report on the events, he, Grime and the other Toads in the room were shocked to hear sound like swords clashing against each other, toads yelling, tarantulas rampaging as something, or someone made them act out of control. Immediately, Grime unsheathed his sword, the toads around him preparing to defend themselves.
The yells and sounds outside grew weaker, until they shut down completely. And then, the gate of the tower was thrown violently open, and Grime saw three figures moving inside.
The larger two were covered in thick, sharp armor, and each holding a long pike in their hands, giving the toad captain the impression they were merely bodyguards, soldiers for the third figure. This one, was a strange creature, even taller than a newt, devoid of tail but also too slender to be a toad, wearing a black armor, a gray cowl on his back, a long and sturdy weapon at his side, and an helmet with visor that covered all of his face.
Grime was a toad warrior, and as such, he was used to not feeling fear when a new enemy presented itself. Yet, he couldn't help but feel nervousness as the unknown being walked right toward him, acting like he was the lord of the tower.
"Captain Grime, I presume?" The strange being said, his voice altered by the constricting helmet (or so Grime assumed).
"Yes, and who are you, who dares to enter my tower?"
In response, the creature's hands moved to his helmet and swiftly removed it, generating shock and jolt as the toads realized it was some kind of creature like they've never seen before, so ugly that it bordered into monstrous.
Grime's eyes focused on the creature, his face bump, his yellow hair, his huge head, as his mind instantly recalled the letter Toadstool had sent them, and the monsters that Bog had faced on Wartwood.
"Sir!" Bog said, taking a step back in caution. "It's one of them! It's another of those creatures!"
"Captain Grime, my name is Prince Aiden, lord of the Black Tower. You and I…need to have a little talk…"