Amphibia: Calamity Warriors
Chapter Forty-Nine: Frobot Friot
"Okay, what's the emergency, Anne?"
It was early morning, and the first thing Anne did was gather everyone in the main hub of the hut…after almost forgetting about it after eating breakfast.
"Okay, so remember yesterday how I wasn't feeling the best?" Anne asked.
"Yeah, you looked like you were about to drop dead." Valor nodded.
"Well, it happened again last night, before I went to bed." Anne explained. "Ever since the first temple, I started feeling fatigued, like using my powers make me more tired."
"Why's that?" Ina asked.
"Well, I think I found the answer."
Just as Anne made to roll her shirt up, Shadow felt Code 34 alarm bells going off in his mind, his heart beating fast as his emotions ran wild before he suddenly blurted out, "I'M NOT READY!"
Everyone looked at him in confusion, Anne red from embarrassment.
"Master, what are you talking about?" Kaemon asked in confusion.
Seeing the confused faces, Shadow quickly straightened himself up. "Apologies, I don't know what came over me." He said.
Shaking off the embarrassment, Anne went back to what she was talking about, and pulled down the collar of her shirt. "Here's what's causing it, I think." She said, showing the mark.
The others looked closer, Valor and Ina and Kaemon seeming confused. Shadow, on the other hand, was concerned, as he moved in, looking closely at the mark, Anne turning red from how close he was to her chest.
"And you got this after the events of the first temple?" He asked.
"Maybe during, I'm not sure." Anne nodded. "But it wasn't there when we first got there."
"This is gonna need a looking into." Ina said.
"You're right." Shadow said, his tone serious. "Ina, you and Valor head for the town archives and look into it."
"What about me?" Kaemon asked.
"You stay put and hold down the fort." Shadow told the swordnewt. "Me and Anne have other matters to look into."
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Shadow?"
"Trust me, Anne. It's better to be safe than sorry."
To say Shadow was concerned would be an understatement. Despite his experience with the Calamity powers, he had no knowledge of the mark. However, given that he already made plans, he drew a sketch of the mark and sent Ina and Valor to the town archives, hoping they'd find something.
Meanwhile, he wanted to pay a visit to Stony Gulch, to find the cadets from the Knight Guard Marcy recognized from the temple nightmare for information. He even took Anne along, mostly to keep an eye on her for further symptoms.
"You think Valor and Ina will find anything?" Anne asked.
"I sure hope so." Shadow replied. "It's important to find out what it is and what its effects are so we can find a way to reverse it."
"I still think your reaction was hilarious." Anne chuckled. "The way you blurted out 'I'm not ready' was priceless!"
Shadow's face turned red from the memory of early morning.
"So, who are we looking for anyways?" Anne asked, the two flying through the sky.
"A pair of newts named Javi and Kettle." Shadow answered. "According to Marcy and Apollo, they left the Guard and settled down together in Stony Gulch."
Eventually, the two arrived at the town before landing, taking in the sight of the town they arrived and left during their journey to Newtopia, then they took notice of the burnt ruins where the Curiosity Hut once stood.
"Whoa, looks like the curator took foreclosure hard." Anne remarked.
"It would seem so." Shadow nodded.
The two walked through town, receiving friendly greetings from the townsfolk before seeing the two newts, sitting on a bench outside a store.
"Is it them?" Anne asked.
"No doubt." Shadow confirmed before the two walked over to them. "Excuse us; Javi and Kettle, formerly of the Knight Guard?"
The two newts looked up at the two, confused at the mention of their names.
"Who are you and how do you know our names?" Kettle, the short newt asked with a raised brow.
"Relax; we're all friends here." Shadow said, raising his hands a bit. "As you can see, we are unarmed."
True enough, neither human had brought their weapons, so as to not make them uneasy. The two newts looked them up and down, taking in their appearances.
"I think we'll have plenty to talk about." Shadow said, hoping to explain themselves, but Javi seemed to have already figured it out.
"Azazel Leviathan and Anne Boonchuy, right?"
The human couple were taken aback. "Yes, but how did you know?" Shadow asked.
"Apollo mentioned you quite a lot." Javi said. "A creature from another world but he saw as a brother, not to mention his love for the color black."
"And Marcy talked nonstop about you, Boonchuy." Kettle added. "Although her drawings of you did little justice."
The two humans looked at each other before their attention returned to the newts.
"Well, do you mind if we ask some questions?" Shadow requested.
"Of course!" Kettle said with a smile. "Any friend of Marcy is a friend of ours."
The human couple followed the newt couple to their home, the whole while they were watched by the lanky robot.
Meanwhile, back in Wartwood, The Plantars were in town, with Hop Pop, Marcy and Apollo in the driver's seat. Kaemon also accompanied them, since Shadow and Anne were out of town.
"This is so great! Our first day in forever with no responsibilities!" Polly cheered, hopping up to the driver's seat. "So, what are we gonna do?"
"Ha! You'll see." Hop Pop declared with a laugh.
Soon enough, the old frog brought Bessie and the wagon to a stop just outside a seed store, much to the pollywog's disappointment.
"Oh, no!" Polly groaned.
"Yep!" Hop Pop said with a pop of his lips.
"Oh, come on!" Polly said. "Don't worry, Marcy, Apollo. We don't have to go into the boring old-"
"Actually, this isn't so bad." Apollo said, much to Polly's surprise.
"This is so cool." Marcy declared with excitement. "A store just for seeds? Boy, we could be there for hours!"
"Don't tempt me!" Hop Pop said.
The old frog and Taiwanese girl shared a laugh.
"The humble seed. So much potential for growth!" Marcy said with wonder in her eyes.
"One of the rare things life where you actually get out what you put in!" Hop Pop added. "It's beautiful!"
The old frog laughed as he and the human/newt couple stepped out of the wagon to walk to the store.
"Have fun in there!" Kaemon waved.
"Yeah, we're good here in the wagon." Sprig added.
"Oh, and look after Polly, you two." Hop Pop said before he, Apollo, and Marcy entered the store.
Polly watched the door of the store shut behind them, a devious grin on her face.
"Perfect." She said, hoping back into the wagon. "Now that the nerds are gone, you guys want to go make mischief?" She didn't get a response from either boy, much to her confusion. "Guys?"
Both male newt and frog had their attention glued to the phone Anne left them with, playing a robot game on the phone, before Polly pulled it down.
"Hey! Did you hear me?" She exclaimed.
"You know, in the past, I would have said yes, and go along with some mayhem," Kaemon said. "But I think I'm getting a little too old for that nonsense."
"Sorry, Polly. But me and Kaemon have changed." Sprig said. "We're different now."
"Some of us even sound different." Kaemon remarked.
"What?" Sprig asked, not noticing his voice getting deeper after hitting puberty.
"Nothing." Kaemon said, waving his hand dismissively. "Anyway, I think we should focus our energy on more mature activities." He then pointed at the phone. "Sprig! Use your kitty cat blasters!"
"On it!" Sprig stated, frantically tapping away at the phone.
As the boys gave their full attention on the game, Polly looked at them in annoyed disappointment. She couldn't believe that her brother and swordnewt friend were becoming as boring as her grandfather.
"So, no one wants to cause trouble with me?" She asked.
"Sorry, Polly." Sprig said.
"And in case you didn't hear, we're responsible for you." Kaemon told her.
"Boo!" Polly exclaimed.
"You'll get it one day, when you have someone to look after." Kaemon shrugged.
"Death first!" Polly yelled, shaking a fist.
The boys returned to their game, Sprig sadly losing, but Polly had other schemes forming in her mind.
"You two are responsible for me, huh?" She whispered with a sinister look. "So, I guess that means that you're responsible for this!"
She then jumped off the wagon and dove right into a bag of large seeds, sending seeds flying everywhere, as well as crashing through the window.
"What the-" The employee yelled before stomping outside. "Who's responsible for this?"
"They are!" Polly declared, pointing a flipper at the boys.
Face red with anger, the employee yelled at the boys, "Yous two! Get over here and clean this up!"
"I know you're not talking to us, bud!" Kaemon yelled back.
The two engaged in a heated argument, and Sprig trying to calm his friend down, Polly hopped away with a laugh.
"Later, losers." She said, giggling as she hopped away towards the town square and to the town square statue. "Pssh! Who needs those two?" She then brought a flipper to her chin. "Hmm, now, how can I be rambunctious to the max?"
Looking around, she saw the fountain at the foot of the statue before giggling with an idea. Letting out a giggle, she then hopped closer.
"People of Wartwood," She announced loudly. "Welcome to the splash zone."
She then sprung upward, jumping as high as she was able to before diving into the water, only to create a small splash, much to the pollywog's disappointment.
"Aw. Really thought that splash would be bigger." She remarked.
She started looking around for something, then gasped at the sight of a freshly baked pie with bug parts added in.
"Mmm. Beetle pie." She salivated.
Getting out of the fountain, Polly hopped to the window and jumped up to try and grab the pie, but she was too small to reach.
"Argh! Curse these puny arms." She screamed, swinging her arm and unknowingly knocking Toadie into a box full of loaves of bread.
Hopping away towards a pile of trash, the tiny pollywog let out a sigh. "Mischief's no dang fun alone." She said in frustration. "Stupid Kaemon. Stupid Sprig."
She let out a grunt before knocking a can away with her tail, before noticing movement from the trash pile. Looking up, she gasped at what she thought were a pair of eyes peaking from the pile, the eyes seeming to widen in fright before going right back in.
"What the heck?" She said before jumping atop the pile. "Is somebody in there?"
Suddenly, a pair of yellow lights popped up, making her scream before she fell to the ground on her back, looking up to see the bulky machine emerge from the trash pile.
"Oh, my frog! A monster! Stay back!" She screamed, bracing herself.
Weirdly enough, the bulky robot also braced itself, holding its metal arms up as to defend itself.
There was a moment of silence, before Polly opened her eyes and looked at the robot in confusion, the robot returning the gaze. She then squinted her eyes, the robot copied her and squinted back. She then scratched the side of her face, and the robot copied the gesture, rubbing its face with a metal hand.
"Ha! You clown. You're copying me." Polly pointed out, letting out a laugh.
The robot laughed in turn, although it came out more distorted and creepier.
"Whoa, your laugh is horrifying. I love it!" Polly exclaimed. "You're no monster. You're just a big tadpole. I'm Polly, by the way. What's your name?"
The robot didn't respond, its metal shell gleaming in the sunlight.
"Can't talk, huh? You really are a baby." Polly said, grunting as she climbed up to its shoulder to get a closer look, the robot turning its head to look at her. "You look like one of those things from the fighting game on Anne's phone. What was it called? A Robo." The machine blinked. "Except you're more like a frog." She let out a gasp. "I will call you Frobo."
The robot did a pose, clearly liking the name, Polly laughing in response, "I know, I know. I'm a genius." She said before jumping off the robot's shoulder. "So, what else can you do?"
The robot dug its metal fingers under the foundation of Stumpy's diner before completely uprooting it and raising it high in the sky. Inside, Wally was drinking before he saw a fish-seagull flying by, then spitting out his drink in shock, thinking he was hallucinating.
"No more for me, thanks." He said, pushing his drink away.
"Whoa!" Polly chuckled as Frobo sat the diner back on the ground. "I don't believe this. I have my own frog dang sidekick." She then had so many ideas forming in her head, forming a mischievous look on her face. "Frobo, how'd you like to have some fun?"
Back in Stony Gulch, the human couple sat in the house of Javi and Kettle, the four sat down and enjoying a dinner prepared by the male newt.
"So, to reiterate, you two worked with Apollo and Marcy?" Shadow asked, wanting to make sure he had his information right.
"Yup, and Apollo was our leader." Kettle nodded. "Sure, he was a bit rough, but he treated us like family."
"And it was thanks to him that we got as far as we did." Javi added. "Like Kettle said, he can be a jerk at times, but he was good to us."
Shadow took a moment to think on this information. He remembered, long before he left with the box, Apollo was energetic, charismatic and drawing people in with his charm, always ready to defend the people he cared about with pride. Remembering how Apollo would get into fights, in his words, to defend his brothers honor made his heart ache at the memory.
"Did he…say anything about me?" He dared to ask.
The newt couple looked at one another, slightly unsure how to answer before Kettle answered, "Well…there were times when, like if he were to mention you, there'd be venom in his tone."
Shadow's face fell, thinking about how much his brother hated him, feeling Anne's hand take hold of his.
"But, there were moments when he would speak fondly of you." Javi added, much to the human boy's surprise. "He'd talk about all the trouble you two would get up to and all the fun to be had…and how much he missed you."
This took Shadow by surprise. "He…missed me that much?" He asked.
"Oh definitely." Kettle nodded. "Good or bed, he talked about you a lot, and how much he missed having you around, that you inspired him."
Shadow took a moment to process this information. After the reunion, he assumed Apollo would hold his hate, even after they formed a truce. But after hearing how his brother missed him and how much he was in pain during his absence, it made his heart ache.
Despite how much his brother loathed him, deep down, the love was still there.
"Thank you for telling me this." The boy in black said.
"Of course, friend." Javi said. "Would you like to stay a while longer? You two are more than welcome here."
"I'm afraid not, but we appreciate the offer." The boy said, standing up. "We're needed in Wartwood."
"We understand." Kettle nodded. "Feel free to visit anytime."
The two humans made to leave, when Shadow remembered something. "Actually, I have one more question about something." He said as he faced them. "What was it like, working with Marcy?"
"Oh, it was kinda awkward, at first." Kettle chuckled. "But over time, she became the best part of our group."
"She brought out the best in Apollo and those two made quite the pair." Javi said.
"Thank you for this information." Shadow said as he bowed respectfully. "We'll be sure to send Marcy and Apollo your regards."
The human couple soon left the house, leaving town and on the road.
"Okay, what was all that about?" Anne questioned.
"What do you mean?" Shadow asked.
"Shadow, you have that look like something serious was going on." Anne said with a serious look. "So, what gives?"
Shadow considered it for a moment, before deciding to tell her. "Anne, how much do you trust Marcy?" He asked.
"Why wouldn't I?" Anne asked back with a raised brow. "We've been friends since childhood."
"But would she lie to you?" Shadow asked.
Anne was taken aback by this. "Where exactly is this coming from?" She asked, more like demanding.
"Anne, something happened at the temple to have shaken Marcy." Shadow explained. "I'm sorry, but I can't help but feel like she's hiding something."
"Shadow, Marcy has no reason to lie to us." Anne told him. "Sure, she has her down moments, but I've known her since childhood. Besides, I thought you were gonna give her a chance."
"I do, really." Shadow said. "But…" He paused, uncertainty on his face.
Anne saw the look on her boyfriend's face, remembering the pain he went through.
"Shadow, I understand that you're worried and don't want to lose anyone else." Anne said, taking his hands into hers. "But I promise, you have nothing to worry about with Marcy, she's not like Sasha. Do you trust me?"
"With my life." Shadow declared.
"Then trust me when I say that you can trust Marcy." Anne said with determination. "I swear on my life."
Shadow took a moment to consider it, then sighed. "Okay, I will." He said.
Smiling, Anne kissed his cheek. "Now come on, we should get back."
The two made to leave, when they heard a snapping of a twig nearby, alerting them.
"What was that?" Anne asked.
"It seems we aren't alone." Shadow said. "Be on your guard."
The two stood back-to-back, carefully scanning their surroundings, and while they heard something walking towards them. Shadow concentrated the power within to enhance his sight, carefully scanning the surrounding area, and eventually, he saw it; within the woods, he saw a distortion of light within the shrubs.
"I see something." He said. "It seems to be cloaking itself."
Both looked in the direction of the distortion, then the figure revealed itself, a lanky robot that was following them throughout their journey since they left the Ruins of Despair.
"Wha... What is that thing?" Anne asked in shock. "Is that some kind of crazy frog robot?"
"It would seem so." Shadow said in surprise. "Question is; has it been following us for long?"
The lanky robot stared at the two before Shadow stepped forward, bringing a finger to hi chin and squinting, the robot repeating the gesture, then the boy lightly scratched the top of his head, the robot once again repeating the gesture, rubbing a metal finger atop its head.
"Hey, he's copying you." Anne chuckled.
"Indeed, he is." Shadow nodded, chuckling a bit.
The lanky robot cackled a bit, the laugh sounding like a gremlin laugh.
"A little creepy, though." Anne said. "So, you got a name?"
The robot seemed to ponder before shrugging its shoulders.
"No name, huh?" Anne mused. "Well, you look kinda lanky…maybe Lanky?"
The robot narrowed its eyes in disapproval.
"You need to work on your naming, Anne." Shadow told her.
Suddenly, the lanky robot turned invisible, and after a few minutes, it reappeared behind them.
"It has that cloaking mechanism, it seems." Shadow mused. "Perhaps…we could call him Echo?"
"Why not Cloak?" Anne questioned.
"Too on the nose." Shadow shrugged. "Plus, Echo sounds cooler."
"Fair enough." Anne shrugged. "Okay, Echo it is!"
The robot called Echo did a spin before posing, the couple laughing at the antics.
"Quirky too." Shadow remarked. "What else can you do?"
Raising a hand, Echo swiped its claws at on of the trees, cutting it down.
"Wow!" Anne exclaimed in amazement. "That'll make tree cutting easier!"
Shadow mused a bit, ideas forming in his head. "Perhaps he could be more help than I thought…"
"Well, we better head back." Anne said. "The others are probably worried."
In agreement, the two held hands before taking flight.
"Wait, how's Echo gonna keep up?" Anne asked.
Looking down, they saw the robot jumping great heights, surprisingly keeping up with the two despite how fast they were going.
"Wow, he's keeping up." Anne remarked.
"Indeed." Shadow nodded. Looking at the robot, he remembered the factory they came across when they first set out to Newtopia. What he found weird was that it was dispatched before he could make the command.
How was that possible?
The trio eventually made their way back to Wartwood, but to their horror, the town was on fire.
"What the heck?!" Anne exclaimed as they landed at the entrance to town.
"What's going on here?!" Shadow yelled. "I swear, I can't turn my back for five seconds without the town catching on fire!"
To their shock, they saw a bulky robot marching through town, its eyes red with anger, as it chased after the townsfolk, shooting lasers from its eyes and knocking down buildings with its extendable arms.
"What the- Another robot?!" Anne gasped.
"We have to stop it before it hurts anyone!" Shadow declared, despite not having a blade, he was ready to fight.
Frobo had some of the townsfolk cornered before a rock hit the back of his head, turning said head to see Sprig and Kaemon charging in with battle cries, the swordnewt with two of his swords drawn. The robot then retracted his hands before extending a pair of blades and raised them to block the newts sword swings, Sprig firing a rock at its head with his slingshot before jumping over a swipe of Frobo's metal arm before Kaemon charged in again, Frobo blocking with his sword hands.
"Come on, gimme more!" Kaemon declared with violent glee before Frobo grabbed him by the throat. "I take it back!"
"Hey, put him down, you big-" Sprig made to say, only for the sword newt to be thrown at him, sending both frog and newt into a pile of hay, the two groaning in pain.
"Tha... That all you got?" Kameon groaned, the enraged robot standing over them, ready to fire more lasers.
"Hang in there, guys!" Anne yelled, her and Shadow rushing in to defend their friends.
"Frobo, no!" Polly yelled, about to jump in.
When suddenly, Echo jumped in front of them, arms out wide.
"BROTHER!"
Just as those words were spoken, Frobo ceased his lasers, looking at his friend, his eyes reverting back to their yellow color.
"Brother, no more violence!" Echo exclaimed. "No more hurt!"
"Listen to him, Frobo." Polly spoke up, hopping before him. "I know you're just trying to protect me. Everything you did today was because I asked you to." The bulky robot lowered himself, allowing Polly to take his hand. "And now I'm asking you to stop."
Frobo looked at her before speaking in an autotuned voice, "Po... Po... Polly."
Polly gasped, "Frobo, your first words." She said with sparkling eyes.
"Well, now that it's calmed down, let's tear this thing apart!" Toadstool yelled.
"Never!" Polly shouted, standing between them and Frobo.
"Stop." Shadow said firmly.
"You will do no such thing!" Anne added before feeling a sense of déjà vu. "Whoa, this feels familiar."
"Come on, Toadstool, isn't there another way?" Shadow asked. "It seems like Polly really likes him. Not to mention he means a lot to Echo." He said the last part gesturing to the lanky robot."
"Kids, I know this town is no stranger to crazy at this point..." Stumpy said.
"But come on." Toadie whined.
"This Frobo thing is a menace." Felicia said.
"You could say the same thing about me." Shadow frowned. "And I turned out fine."
"Yeah, but still…" Duckweed said.
"It destroyed my shack." Loggle shouted. "I mean, someone's gotta answer for this mess."
Polly let out a sigh. "You're right. I will." She said. "This wasn't Frobo's fault. It was mine. I taught him how to do all of this." The townsfolk eased up at her apology. "I'm sorry about the damage. I'll do whatever it takes to fix it all up. But leave Frobo alone. He's innocent." She turned to the bulky robot. "Frobo, say you're sorry."
Frobo looked to Echo, who gave a nod, before turning back to the mob and giving an apologetic nod, "So... Sorry."
"It said sorry and I suppose that's good enough for me, eh." One of the constables said with a lazy shrug.
"We don't even have handcuffs that big anyway." The second said.
Toadstool groaned before complying. "I guess we already accepted all these monsters." He said, gesturing to the humans.
"Yep. I mean, what's one more at this point?" Loggle said.
"Don't push it, Woody." Shadow said.
Just then, Marcy, Apollo and Hop Pop stepped out of the seed store, carrying large bags of seeds.
"I can't believe they had tomato plant seeds." Marcy said with a chuckle.
"Not just tomato, but a large variety as well, including carrot." Apollo added.
"I still think you shouldn't have bought those." Hop Pop said before seeing the damage done to the town. "Wha... What in tarnation?"
"Hey, Hop Pop." Polly said cheerfully.
"You guys missed out on so much." Kaemon chuckled.
"Clearly we missed out on quite a lot." Apollo remarked.
Marcy let out a gasp upon seeing Frobo and Echo. "Oh, my gosh! Are those robots?" She practically threw her bag on Hop Pop before running up to the two bots, examining them with glee. "Where did they come from? What are they made of? Can I have one?"
"What's a robot?!" Hop Pop shouted.
"Too hard to explain." Anne said.
"So, I know this is a lot to take in," Polly said, hopping up to her grandfather. "but can we please keep them? I'll be their big sister. I'm ready to take care of someone."
"Whoa!" Sprig said.
"Wow, what a turn around." Kaemon said.
"Uh, I'm not sure, Polly." Hop Pop said, rubbing his chin. "It sure seems dangerous. I mean, can they do anything useful?"
"Show 'em, Frobo."
"You too, Echo."
At the commands of Polly and Shadow, Frobo and Echo got started, Frobo raking the ground and planting flowers while Echo set up a fence around it, much to Hop Pop's glee.
"Welcome to the family, Mr. Frobo and Mr. Echo!" Frobo then picked Hop Pop and Polly up. So, do you do anything else?"
Toast popped out of Frobo's head, impressing Hop Pop, Sprig and Marcy, even Apollo was impressed.
"Don't mind if I do." Sprig said.
"Hey! It's multigrain." Marcy said.
Shadow and Anne watched the scene before Kaemon walked up next to them. "Wow! First underground computers and now robots?" The swordnewt said before realizing something. "Wait a second. Master, Anne, you don't think those two were what got built in the ruins of disaster, do you?"
"No way! And followed us all the way home?" Anne said, skeptical. "That would have been hundreds of miles."
"Could be." Anne said, the two in thought before saying at the same time, "Nah."
Shadow, on the other hand, was forming ideas, which brought a smile on his face before he pulled in Anne and Kaemon.
"I know that look, Master." Kaemon chuckled. "You've got ideas hatching."
"Interested in sharing?" Anne inquired.
Shadow let out a soft chuckle, "Indeed I am."
Just then, Ina and Valor had returned, both looking around in confusion.
"What'd we miss?" Valor asked.
"Welcome, to our new home away from home!"
After several hours of work, with the combined help of the Plantars, the humans, Kaemon, Frobo and Echo, they got started on a new home, completely replacing the small hut with a small house, connected with the main hall as the main body of the house, along with three extra wings connected to the sides and end of the manor. On the east side, the was a kitchen on the bottom floor, while the bedrooms lay above it. On the west side, there was a trophy room on the ground floor, while the armory lay above it. On the north, there were three towers; one for alchemy, the second served as a library, and the last one was for magical enchantments, especially whenever Maddie visited.
"Welcome, everyone," Shadow announced with fanfare popping off. "To Swampview Manor!"
Entering the manor, everyone was in awe at how well designed and furnished the inside looked. Even Apollo was taken aback.
"Hoopa de boopa!" Anne exclaimed.
"All those materials went well invested." Apollo remarked.
"As you can see, this manor has everything any house could have." Shadow told them, as if he was a home real estate salesman. "We have a spacious kitchen, and right above that is the bedrooms, so the sleepy heads get a whiff of breakfast."
"Ooh, I like the sound of that!" Ina said.
"On the west side, we have the trophy room for displaying trophies of worthy kills." Shadow declared, opening the door and showing the trophies from the past, ranging from mantis head and blades to dragon fly heads and wings, along with spider skeletons. "And just above that is the armory, for our various gear and tools, weapons and armor."
"Neat!" Sprig said.
"And on the northern end are our towers." Shadow said, opening the door to each. "Each one with specific purposes. One for alchemy, one is the library, and finally, the magical enchantments, for Maddie, of course, for when she visits."
"Wow!" Marcy declared with gleaming eyes.
"And here?" Kaemon asked, gesturing to a hatch in the floor.
"That would be the basement." Shadow explained, opening the hatch and showing everyone. "Mostly for storage, and the shower."
"A SHOWER?!" Anne exclaimed.
"Thanks to Marcy's help, we were able to create a pipeline for the water from a nearby river." Shadow explained, showing a detailed blueprint. "And thanks to a filtering system, we have clean running water!"
"OUTTA MY WAY!"
It wasn't long before Anne shoved past everyone and made a beeline straight for the shower, much to everyone's amusement.
"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Marcy said, hugging her beloved's arm. "So much happening in our favor!"
"Indeed, Mars." Apollo said with a rare smile. "Honestly, I don't see how this can go badly."
Far off from town stood a cave giving off a dim glow. Inside were several candles lined on the walls, and inside stood a solitary female salamander with purple skin and a lighter underbelly, with dark blue eyes and dark olive hair, wearing a magician's robes and shoes. She sat kneeling before two small bags, both with inscriptions on them, one marked 'mother' and the other 'father'.
The salamander soon opened her eyes before standing up, picking up a lit candle and lighting the ones set up around the bag marked for her mother.
"Lo, there do I see my Mother."
She then lit the ones set up around her father's.
"Lo, there do I see my Father."
After finishing lighting the candles, she then sat the candle down before pulling a few rose petals from her pouch and spreading them around the pouches.
"Lo, there do they call to me."
She then leaned forward, her head pressing against the stone floor.
"Lo, there do they call to me."
Tears then started to fall, the salamander's face filled with sorrow.
"Lo, there do they call to me."
It was now clear that these were no ordinary bags, but small patches. Inside were the ashes of her parents, meant to be carried back to her homeland and spread across the shores of Izanagi.
However, now was not the time for grieving.
Wiping the tears away, she secured the pouches on her belt before taking up a peculiar looking sword, strapping the sheath to her side, then taking up her staff before stepping out from the cave. Just as she was about to take her leave, she saw a familiar face approach, a fellow salamander wearing a black cloak and missing an arm.
"This path will not undo the past, Clarissa Fintail." Valeriana said.
The purple salamander didn't respond, the angry glare being her only reply.
"This choice will only take you down a dark path." The old salamander warned. "You should know better, my child."
"What do you expect, grandmother?" Clarissa demanded. "That I'm supposed to sit by while my parent's killer is walking without consequence?!"
"What happened during the Purge was a terrible tragedy." Valeriana said. "But the boy must live."
"Even after what he did, you still DEFEND him?!" Clarissa growled. "He who robbed us of so much! Robbed us of our place, our families, our HOME!"
"He is trying to repent for his sins." Valeriana said, trying to reason with her angry granddaughter. "Please, my child. You must not allow your anger to cloud your mind."
The older salamander's words fell on deaf ears, sadly, as the youth pushed right past her, walking a few feet before stopping.
"There is no forgiving this, grandmother." Clarissa said, venom in her tone. "The Black Wolf WILL die."
Her mission in mind and with dark determination in her heart, the purple salamander left, leaving Valeriana looking on with sad eyes and a broken heart.
And there's the new chapter! Say hi to Echo, Frobo's fellow robot and his technically older brother. I took some inspirations from the cloak bot that chased Anne in season three, and I thought it'd be an interesting addition. And Shadow gets a home upgrade! The new home took some inspiration from Skyrim's Lakeview Manor, with some liberties taken. Hope you guys like it!
And then we have a salamander seeking vengeance. Yeah, this was bound to come up sooner or later. My only regret was not bringing it in sooner at the start. Oh well, better late than never.
Anyways, hope you guys enjoy the new chapter and look forward to Toad to Redemption! Reviews are greatly appreciated!