Author's Note: Hey, everyone. I'm back with a brand new update for this chapter.
Now, before we begin, I'd like to make a little announcement. This will be my last update for the Black Panther of Amphibia for a while. I know I've been updating this story on a weekly basis more or less, but I planned to stop at a certain part of my story, and this seems like the place for that. So after this, I will make weekly updates for another fanfic. Probably the Ghost, the Trickster, and Molly McGee. I know everyone's eager for me to get to the season 1 finale events.
Enjoy the chapter. Any and all comments are welcome.
After Anne opened the mysterious music box and they were engulfed in a strange, bright light, Erik Stevens and Sasha Waybright found themselves in a strange world. They didn't even have ten seconds to process their new environment before an army of armored toads ambushed them, tied them up, and carried them to their prison in Toad Tower.
Toad Tower was run by the most ruthless and bloodthirsty toads in the valley… or at least, that's how it's supposed to go. Truthfully, however, the toads there have become so complacent, they find themselves helpless just from being caught in their own spiders' webs. Inside, the toads would rather party and play games instead of doing their job. A fact, unfortunately, that their fearsome captain couldn't tolerate.
As soon as Grime entered the main hall, all the toads stopped having fun and saluted out of fear. The scarred toad with the null eye walked in and observed his soldiers. He was not happy about what he saw.
"So, these are the valley's strongest warriors. Pathetic!" He called out so that everyone could hear him. He then noticed that one of the toads was wearing his armor wrong. "Wait, hold on. Is this guy seriously wearing his breastplate as pants?"
"Uh, it won't happen again, sir." The toad said fearfully.
"No, it won't." Grime said assuredly. "Take him to the pain room!"
"Not the pain room! I hate pain!" The punished toad begged as two dungeon masters grabbed him and dragged him away.
Grime then turned his attention back to his soldiers. "I'm sure you've all heard frogs in the valley are getting unruly. They're questioning our authority. Some towns have even stopped paying their taxes. And do you know why?"
"Maybe they—I don't know—forgot?" One toad guessed nervously.
"No, you imbeciles! You've all gotten soft!" Grime shouted before punching a pillar behind him leaving a dent. "To get this valley under control, I need warriors who are fierce, cunning, and above all, ruthless!"
Up in the dungeon, a bug was about to dig in on a bowl of gruel until Sasha crushed it with a brick.
"Get your own food, you dumb bug."
On the other side of the dungeon just across from the cage Sasha was in, there was a second cage where Erik was trapped in. After seeing Sasha kill a bug, he gave her a judgmental stare that she noticed.
"What?" Sasha asked challengingly.
"What, what?" Erik replied.
"I know that look. You've got a comment you want to make. And I'd like to hear it."
"Oh, it's nothing really. I'm just surprised that such a queen bee would fight a bug over a handful of fungus water."
"First of all, Erik, I wasn't fighting it. I literally crushed it. And second of all, it's not like these toads are giving us pizzas. We eat what we can. Heck, if we were in the same cell, I'd crush you over a bowl of this soup."
Erik scoffed. "As if you could."
Sasha growled ready to get into another verbal disagreement when the door opened. A happy-looking toad walked in.
"Hey, guys. I brought you your favorite. Cricket Thursday. Hey, are you guys fighting again?"
"No, no, no, Percy." Sasha said. "Actually, we were just finished."
"Well, if her royal highness says so." Erik said under his breath.
"Hey, I've been working on my act." Percy said. "Do you wanna see it?"
"Totally." Sasha said.
"Well, I got nothing better to do." Erik said. "Show us what you got, Percy."
Percy excitedly entered the room covered in instruments which he played all at once. He was a one-man marching band. He gave a short performance, and when he was finished, Erik and Sasha applauded at once.
"Whoo! Wow! Get it, toad!" Sasha cheered.
"Yeah, I gotta admit, it's really something." Erik said.
"Wow. Hearing you two actually like it together really means a lot." Percy said.
"Honestly, you're wasting your time here as a guard." Sasha said.
"You know what? You're right." Percy said removing his helmet. He replaced it with a jester's hat. "Thanks, you two. I can't wait to see the look on Grime's face when I tell him that I'm…" He stopped talking as soon as he turned around finding himself face to face with the toad captain himself.
"Tell me what?" Grime asked in a threatening tone.
"Uh…" Percy started to say before running past Grime. As he ran down the stairs, he shouted out what he wanted to say. "That I quit and I've always hated this job! Byyyyyyeeeee!"
Grime growled seeing Percy run off. He turned to Sasha who smiled confidently at him.
"Hey there, Grimesy." Sasha said playfully. "What's that, like, the fifth toad I've walked into leaving this week?"
"You convinced over a dozen toads to quit, but you couldn't talk one of them into sneaking us a decent meal?" Erik asked.
"There's plenty more where that came from, and far more loyal than Percy." Grime said.
"Then why didn't you send them to guard us before him?" Erik asked. "Didn't you tell us that Percy was the last guy you'd trust into guarding your prisoners?"
"He's got a point, Grime." Sasha said. "Looks more like you're not exactly Mr. Popular around here."
"Enough. The only reason I left Percy in charge was because Klaw is out on a tax run." Grime said. "Now, who…"
"'Sent us'? No one. 'How's we get here'? Don't know. 'What do we want'? To find our friends and go home." Sasha went through the whole process as if she's already memorized it. "Haven't we been through this enough?"
"It'll be enough once you start giving me real answers." Grime said.
Erik groaned. "Look, can you at least let one of us go? I don't care who. Just as long as I don't have to share the same room as blondie over there."
"Oh, and you're such a great personality." Sasha retorted. "At least I don't snore."
"I do not!"
"Oh, please! It's like sleeping across the room from a working lawnmower!"
"WILL YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF?!" Grime shouted. "I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU TWO GOING AT EACH OTHER LIKE A COUPLE OF BICKERING…"
"Captain Grime!" a toad shouted as she ran into the prison. She stopped to smile and wave at Sasha. "Oh, hey, Sash."
"Braddock! Hey, girlfriend." Sasha greeted. "How's the garden coming along?"
"Oh, it's gorgeous. You should see the squash…"
"Did you need something, soldier?!" Grime interrupted.
"Oh! Right!" Braddock said. "Yes, we may have a small problem."
Braddock lead Grime to the top of the tower. She pointed out into the forest where two giant, white birds walked along towering every tree in the area. Both Sasha and Erik looked out their respective windows to share the view.
"Kill the torches. Fast." Grime whispered swiftly. Braddock and all the other toads in the tower obeyed immediately.
"A bird? You guys are scared of a bird?" Sasha asked.
"Quiet." Grime said quietly. "It's not just a bird. It's a heron, a monstrous predator that happens to love the taste of flesh."
"Whoa." Erik commented. "And I thought Sasha was the biggest bird of prey around here."
"The most important thing right now," Grime continued, "Is that we be very, very quiet."
What came next was an unfortunate case of bad timing. The tower's front gate creaked open and Percy foolishly marched out with all of his instruments playing music with each movement he made. Sasha, Erik, Grime, and Braddock called out to him as quietly as they could, but still loud enough so he could hear them. They tried to tell him to come back, but he had a reassured look on his face unaware of the herons that closed in.
"Sorry, guys, but this toad's gotta follow his dreams!" Percy declared before a heron's foot landed right next to him. Finally, he noticed the monster birds which then attacked him. They tore him from his instruments, but he ran back to the gate he just exited.
"DON'T LEAD THEM HERE, YOU FOOL!" Grime shouted, but it was too late. The herons have begun their assault on Toad Tower.
One of the herons flew up to the prison level and pecked right through the wall where Sasha was. Sasha crawled backwards, but didn't get far because of the prison bars.
"OH, CRUD!" Sasha shouted trying to avoid the bird's bite.
"Don't worry, Sasha! They wouldn't eat you!" Erik shouted.
"Are you sure?" Sasha asked before realizing something. "Wait a minute! Are you about to give a snarky explanation at my expense!"
"…Well, you take all the fun out of it!" Erik replied.
"That's it!" Sasha shouted before turning to the heron. "Bring it on, birdbrain!"
The heron tried to peck at her, but she maneuvered out of the way and grabbed her bowl of gruel which she then splashed right onto the heron. While Sasha was fighting the heron, Grime ran over to Erik's cell and pried the bars apart.
"Can you fight too?" Grime asked.
"Yeah, of course." Erik replied.
"Great. We'll need both of you creatures." Grime ran over to Sasha's cell and managed to grab the attacking heron by its beak. He struggled for control with Sasha standing right behind him.
"Creatures, fight with me!" Grime commanded. "And together, we'll… And they're gone." Both Sasha and Erik ran out the open door.
Grime continued to fight the heron until it managed to clamp its beak shut. Grime was knocked over landing on his back.
"I'm not afraid of death." Grime said ready for the final blow.
"Hey! Ugly chicken!" Sasha yelled as she ran back in the prison with Erik behind her. She carried a large barrel which she then threw at the heron. Once it hit it, green liquid burst out splashing all over the bird's face. After that, Erik ran over to the side of its head and punched it right in the eye. It whimpered as it retreated out of the prison.
Grime laughed seeing the two humans chase the heron away. "Where did you get moves like that?"
"Cheerleading." Sasha answered.
"And I… Uh… I got my moves from the street." Erik added.
"Which street?" Grime asked.
"No. I mean… It's just a… You know what, I'll tell you later." Erik said. "Right now, neither of us can leave while those man-eating birds are waiting to eat us."
"So listen up." Sasha said. "If we help you get rid of those birds, you will give us provisions and release us. Deal?"
"Deal." Grime agreed.
"Great. So what's the plan?" Erik asked. "We're basically fish in a barrel here."
"We'll need every toad in this tower if we're going to survive." Grime said. "Grab them all and head to the safe room."
By the time all the toads were holed up in the safe room, there were only about a dozen left including Grime. They all shivered in fear while the toads were breaking in.
"You know what would lighten this atmosphere up a bit? A joke." Percy said. "How many herons does it take to storm a castle?" He didn't have time to deliver his punchline. Grime pointed his sword at him. "Too soon?"
"It's still happening." Erik said.
"You lot are, without a doubt, the most USELESS GROUP OF TOADS I HAVE EVER SEEN!" Grime shouted to all his soldiers. "MAYBE IF ANY OF YOU HAD A SCRAP OF COURAGE, WE WOULDN'T BE HERE COWERING LIKE A BUNCH OF…"
Sasha laughed cutting Grime off in the middle of his ranting. "All right. Let's take five. Grimesy, a word please? You can come too, Stevens."
Erik rolled his eyes as he joined Sasha and Grime as they tucked themselves behind a tapestry.
"Okay. Listen, Grime. If you keep yelling at them like that, they'll keep being useless and we'll all die." Sasha informed.
"What do you suggest?" Grime asked. "I congratulate them? Give them each an award?"
"Clearly, you need a new approach." Erik said. "You know, this… guy I know once said that if a stick didn't budge the mule, offer a carrot instead."
"Yeah. Exactly." Sasha said. "Just try saying nice things for a change. Get them to love you, and they'll do anything for you."
"That actually works?" Grime asked in disbelief.
"Oh, trust me. She really strikes me as the type of person who'd use that trick every day." Erik said. "You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar."
"And you can catch more with manure." Grime replied.
"Just trust me." Sasha said. "Here. I'll give you a head start." She then shouted loud enough for all the toads to hear. "Whoa, Grime! So you think your guards are all amazing, but you're afraid to tell them your true feelings?!"
"What? What are you…" Grime started to ask before Erik interrupted him.
"Take it easy, Grime. You don't have to be afraid. You did tell us that Braddock is the toughest toad in the tower because she doesn't take garbage from anyone. Go on."
"Uh…" Grime said looking out at the other toads. "Uh… Yes! Braddock is tough. Tough as beetle skin."
Braddock smiled at the compliment and blushed at the positivity from her fellow soldiers. "Well, I do wash with a steel wool brush. It really hurts."
"And what were those nice things you said about Gary?" Sasha asked loudly gesturing at the toad covered in bandages.
"Oh. Gary. Gary." Grime said trying to think until he thought of something. "Gary never missed a day, even when he was sick!"
Gary smiled. "What can I say? I'm dedicated."
All around, toads were starting to be happy. They were excited to hear their commanding officer giving them compliments instead of insults for a change.
"And Percy?" Erik asked pointing at the toad in the jester hat.
"I don't want to do Percy." Grime said.
"And Percy?" Sasha repeated with clenched teeth.
"Percy's a grubbing idiot!" Grime snapped out loud. All the toads began to frown again. Noticing this, he tried to fix things on his own. "Uh… But, when he makes a mistake, he owns it." A hopeful look in Percy's eyes urged him to keep pushing. "And he doesn't stop until he makes things right. And because of that…" Grime fought with all his will to say what he had to say. "He has…" Everyone leaned in to listen. "HE'S EARNED MY RESPECT!"
Percy gasped. "I have?"
"Y-Yes?" Grime asked.
Feeling proud of himself, Percy and the rest of the toads stood at attention like professionals. "Captain Grime, sir, we're taking this tower back, even if we have to fight through 20 herons! Now, come on, you toads! No one wants to live forever!"
All the toads rallied as they raced out the door and into battle. Watching them leave, Grime, Sasha, and Erik smiled at each other. Before anything, however, Erik looked back noticing an old, horned mask with furry sides like a mane hanging at a nearby wall. He walked closer to it curiously.
"Yo, Grime, what's this?" he asked.
"Oh. You mean the mask of the legendary Killmonger?" Grime asked. "Legend has it that he was a fearsome toad who has slain over a hundred wild beasts. And for each of his kills, he left a scar on his body."
"Yikes. Pretty hardcore." Sasha said before noticing Erik smiling at it. "What? Don't tell me you think it gives you magic powers or something?"
"Nah, I'm just feeling it." Erik said. "Hey, Grime, may I?"
"Well, after what you did for me today, I'd say you earned it." Grime answered.
Erik plucked the Killmonger mask from the wall and wore it over his own face. He turned to show off to Sasha and Grime. "What do you think?"
"Well, it's definitely an improvement." Sasha said.
"You look like you were born to wear it." Grime said proudly.
"Thanks, Grime." Erik said before picking a spear from the wall. "Now, let's go ground and bury these birds."
Fueled by their newfound loyalty to their captain and motivated by his "praise" towards them, the toads raced to the castle courtyard where the herons were. Although they were still scared, they proceeded to fight for Grime. It was only a matter of time before Grime, Sasha, and Erik revealed themselves at the top of what remains of a collapsed wall.
"Up here, pheasants!" Grime shouted getting the herons' attention.
The three of them leaped from where they were perched and fought against the birds. Sasha and Erik worked together to fight one while Grime fought on his own to fight the other. During the fight, while Sasha grabbed the heron's beak, Erik thrusted his staff at its face leaving a serious scar across its eye. Shortly after, the herons turned away from the fight and flew away from the tower.
When the battle was over, the three of them turned back at the toad soldiers who gasped in amazement at what they had witnessed.
"Toads of Toad Tower, today was a great victory!" Grime declared. "If it weren't for your bravery, the fortress would be lost! You're all heroes!"
"Did Grime…"
"Just call us…"
"Heroes?"
All the toads proceeded to cheer and shout with great pride.
"All right, troops. Listen up." Grime said before everyone stopped to listen. "Head down to the mess hall for some food and a round of beetle mead. You've earned it."
"SIR, YES, SIR!" all the toads shouted before marching back into the castle. As soon as they left, Grime smiled back at the humans just as Erik removed his Killmonger mask.
"Unbelievable. This compliment stuff is witchcraft."
"Yeah, sure." Sasha said without caring. "Hey, Erik, you sure you got your moves from the streets. I'm pretty sure I saw fighting like that in a military movie once."
"Uh, don't believe everything you see in theaters, Sasha." Erik replied. "Look, Grime, I'm pretty sure we've earned our freedom."
"For once, I agree with him." Sasha said. "So give us some rations, a map, maybe a couple of cool cloaks, and we'll be on our way."
"Not so fast." Grime said pulling out his sword. "You're far too dangerous and manipulative to be left to roam free."
"You warty little…" Sasha grimaced.
"Hold the tongue, Sasha." Erik said. "There's two of us and one of him, and we can easily outsmart the rest of his troops. There's no way he can stop us from escaping."
"True. I can't stop you." Grime said putting his sword back. "So go ahead. Be a couple of vagabonds wandering the wilderness. And if you two are serious about travelling together, I wonder how long it'll take before your bickering attracts the wild animals."
Sasha and Erik looked at each other before looking out at the forest outside the fortress. The herons were still in sight indicating that there's still so much danger out in Amphibia.
"Or?" Sasha asked.
"Or… you two can stay here. Help us rebuild the tower. Perhaps serve as my most powerful soldiers. And when we're done here, you, me, and the entire garrison will march on the valley, restore order, and find your friends. Now, how does that sound?"
Sasha gave a little smile. "I think I can live with that."
"All right." Erik said. "I've got something to do back home, and I prefer to do it in one piece. And so far, you toads are my best option."
"Then come, lieutenants! We have much to discuss!" Grime said before getting stopped by a toad who ran out to approach him.
"Captain Grime, sir. Klaw just returned from Wartwood and is waiting for you in the briefing room. He says he's got something to tell you."
When Grime returned into the castle, Erik looked back at Sasha who was holding up a photo of herself, Anne, and Marcy.
"Hold on for a little longer, girls. I'm coming for you. And when I find you, we're gonna get home. But first, I think we're gonna have some fun with this place." Sasha gave an eager smile which dropped when she looked back at Erik. "What?"
"What, what?" Erik asked.
"Are we really going over this again?" Sasha asked.
Erik sighed. "Okay, look. Clearly, we're not big fans of each other."
"Obvi."
"But if we are going to return to Earth, we're going to have to ease up on the insults." Erik said. "Grime's just started using compliments to earn his soldiers' loyalty, so we may have to practice what we preach. I'm not saying we pull up chairs for each other or give each other birthday presents. But we can at least cooperate if we're going to go home."
Sasha let out a deep breath. "Fine. We'll cooperate. Now, let's get started inside. It's a pretty dangerous world out here." She walked back into the tower, but Erik stayed behind for a moment.
Erik reached into his shirt and pulled out a chain necklace he wore. At its lowest point, there was a silver ring hanging from it which he held up with one hand while holding his new mask in the other.
"Yeah. It is dangerous, isn't it?" Erik said to himself. "And I don't mind going back home to finish my business, but if a certain pair of Wakandan royal teens were to perish here…" He gave a grin that rivaled Sasha's. "Well, that's just a tragedy."