AMPHIBIA-BOTS
(a fan-fiction by Slogokonnor99)
Book 1: survivors
Chapter 1: Up the mountains…
Long time ago… Our ship crash-landed onto a planet filled with life; their inhabitants were on the verge of beginning their own empire, but in every attempt they did, wild creatures ruined their chances of success. Having empathy for them, we decided to help them out; and thanks to us their empire grew in size and power.
The years passed, and from generation to generation, our alliance grew much stronger. We united everyone from region to region, shared our knowledge, and built a magnificent empire; it was our golden age, much like the one we went through on our world, but like in every thriving community, peace soon gave way to war, and the empire fell into ruins.
Looking for someone to blame, the king's urge to find a culprit led to a rebellion against us, his allies, and a great war ensued. We may had been much bigger, stronger, and smarter, but having taught them about out biology and weaponry, we simply didn't stand a chance; and one by one, we fell victim to their creations, to their demons.
The years went by, and our friends disappeared as they passed; but just as their rage didn't seem like it could end, their attacks simply ceased. The attackers vanished, the place became silent, everyone was left shattered, and the empire was left broken, with towns and cities now disconnected from each other.
The last of us, feeling heartbroken and outraged, decided to leave the planet, but to do so we had to travel across the mountains. The rocky terrain and the fauna of the region was said to deter any soldier or machine from going through, but we had no choice.
We started the climb, motivated that after this everything would be easier and simpler, but as we reached the first half, I, having suffered major injuries trying to save the last few, simply couldn't continue the journey past the mountain range.
My last words as I commanded the others to leave me were:
"Keep going forwards and don't look behind, for in doing so you'll be reminded of the good and bad moments we've gone through together."
As the others left me, and feeling that my fate was sealed, I chose a hiding spot where no one would find my body; then I simply closed my eyes and breathed slowly, resting assured that, while I passed away, my body would never be found, and so would my comrades.
As for the ruined kingdom, their king kept on sending waves of seekers year after year, hoping to find the last of the traitors that fled his tyranny. But as time passed, the drone waves became scarce, the technology became something of the past, and the tale of this tragedy turned from a real event into a legend.
For the Plantars, particularly Hopadiah Plantar, life on Wartwood had changed a lot ever since that human girl named Anne Boonchuy ended up living there. The days since Anne arrived were a bit hectic, with her making everyone scared of the Plantars, and always causing trouble with Sprig and Polly on her toes; but the more she got to know everyone, the better she got along in town.
The first weeks of her arrival were the craziest. One time, she accidentally brought a litter of killapillars to the town, only for them to grow and attack the villagers. In another moment of chaos, she released some leeches that were supposed to be killed off instead of being relocated; the local wildlife expert had to come in and rescue everyone before Anne had to pay the price.
But for all the mistakes Anne has made, she always makes it up them. On the one time she had brought the killapillars to the town, she ended up making tougher cables using the silk that was sprayed everywhere, and while fixing the Plantars' house from the leech breakout, she'd found a large piece of obsidian in the Plantars' basement big enough to pay for materials.
She even introduced them to new stuff that for them seemed dangerous at first but that they liked in the end, like for example, Pizza and drama series. Her likability and sympathy are the reasons why most of the townsfolk have grown up to like her and now they allow her to call their town "home", despite not knowing where she really is from.
On this day however, stuff was about to become even much crazier for the Plantar family, but before all of that,
-The inhabitants of the fallen kingdom say that on one night, the sounds of rust and the smell of the blood of the giants will disperse in the air, and one person with heart will answer the call and follow the trail. That creature will be the salvation of that kingdom and will rebuild it with the giant's corpses- Said Hop Pop as he was reading a book out loud while the sun began to drop –Well! Given that this is supposed to be a myth among people that have died long ago… I doubt it can be real in the end, right kids?-.
He turned his head to the side and waited for an answer from his children, but they had ignored him during all the long speech. It was expected from them, given that their interest on literature was as small as a water bear. With that over, however, they tried to convince the old frog to watch a soap opera using a rectangular device Anne had taught them about when she arrived here.
-FINE!- He yelled –But expect me to ignore this as you did to me!-. -Aw, c'mon HP- said a human girl –you're gonna love it! I know you like acting, so why not show you how we do acting where I come from?-. The human knew "acting" was a word that the old frog could not resist at all, and he grabbed the bait quickly. -OK, but if the first episode doesn't match my expectations you're on dung duty tonight!- the old frog bet.
As the days went on, Anne and the Plantars watched episode after episode, having a laugh and crying with emotional scenes; but one night, as they reached the last episodes, Anne's behavior began to change.
-Hey Hop Pop- Anne asked -you mind if I go out to take a breath of air?-, -Oh, but we're nearly at the end of the season!- Hop Pop replied -you sure you don't wanna miss it?-, -It's OK, HP- Anne argued -I've already seen the whole thing, so I'd props spoil you the ending if not careful-, -OK, fine- Hop Pop replied -but be careful, you know how it is outside during autumn nights!-
As she left the house, Anne walked down the front yard and sat down atop the fence; the moon was bright, and there was a brise of air. Anne felt at peace… for at least a few minutes before someone came to her side to chat
-Are you alright, Anne?- a pink frog asked, -Oh, I'm fine- Anne replied. The frog sensed that the tone of her voice wasn't her usual one, so he sat down next to her and tried to make her shoot out her feelings. -You feel sad about something?- the frog asked, -I told you I'm OK, Sprig- Anne replied -I just don't like being inside for that long. I'm more of an outsider, y'know-, -Right…- Sprig reluctantly went with it.
A bit of silence followed the end of that conversation; it was certainly awkward for Sprig, but before he could try and make a new conversation, Anne had begun to move towards the forest.
-Hey! Where are you going?!- Sprig asked as he went after her, but Boonchuy ignored him. The two headed inside the forest, with Sprig worried as to where Anne was heading to
-Anne! We're heading too far from home!- Sprig tried to alert her, but she didn't listen; it was as if she had seen something of value among all the vegetation. -ANNE!- Sprig yelled -ANNE!-; Sprig then pulled Anne from her arm, and instead of a violent thrash what he got is a look of confusion.
-Are you OK, Anne?- Sprig asked, -Ugh… what happened?- Anne replied, leaving Sprig even more confused, -You… You just started walking into the forest- Sprig stated. Anne looked around, trying to see where were they, but the vegetation was too thick.
-How far into the forest did I go?- Anne nervously asked, -I… I don't know- Sprig replied -I only followed you trying to stop you, -Oh frog, Hop Pop is gonna kill me if he knows I got too far away from the house!- Anne thought out loud.
Her worries were withered away, however, as she and Sprig heard movement through some bushes near them.
-Sprig, did you hear that?- Anne asked Sprig as silently as she could, after all, it could be a creature stalking them both, -Yeah- Sprig silently replied -should we try and climb high?-.
Anne hurried Sprig to hide behind her and tried to listen carefully to identify where the disturbance came from, but instead, she picked up another noise, one that sounded deep and long, as if it was a sort of frequency.
-Sprig, I don't think that's a creature- Anne told him, -Yeah, it has a high pitch- he replied while trying to find the origin of the noise -I'm certain this sounds more like…-. -Hold up- Anne interrupted him -what do you mean by high pithed?-, -That's how I hear it- Sprig claimed -Wait, are you sure we're hearing the same things?-.
There was certainly no time to question, because the bushes moved once again. Sprig raised his slingshot at the source of the noise, having already prepared a pebble and stretched the rubber band; however, as the thing came out of the bushes, Anne stopped him at the last second when she recognized the creature. It was none other than the girl of the Plantar family: Polly.
-Oh FINALLY! I've been looking for you all around the place!- Polly stated to both, but then she looked at Sprig -wait, WERE YOU ABOUT TO SHOOT ME?!-, -well… I wouldn't have tried to if I DIDN'T GET SCARED IN THE FIRST PLACE! - Sprig yelled back.
The two kids started to yell at each other at the top of their lungs; but while the two were making a skirmish, Anne began to move away from the fighting kids, for some reason her mind was somewhere else.
As she was staring directly at the foliage, seemingly having caught sight of a peculiar object, Polly threw a pebble at Sprig as a warning; he dodged it, and a result, it landed on Anne's head.
-Ouch! What the…- Anne snapped as the pebble bounced off her head; she looked around to find the Plantars, but once again, she had walked too far from them.
-AAANNEEE!- Anne heard the calls of Sprig -AAANNEE!-, -I'M OVER HERE SPRIG!- Anne yelled back, and by following their calls, the kids reunited with each other. -I'm sorry for that pebble!- Polly apologized -Sprig is really a hard target to hit-, -What kind of apology is that?!- Sprig argued, -Oh, pardon me, Sprig!- Polly sarcastically replied -why don't you just take the hit net time?-
-CAN YOU TWO CALM DOWN?!- Anne yelled at them and then turned her attention to Polly; –Ok, can you please tell me what's going on?- asked Anne, -Hop Pop and I may or may not have turned the rectangle into a black screen- Polly replied, -Oh you gotta be kidding me- Anne stated out loud -we need to get back home, NOW!-.
A few minutes earlier
While Sprig and Anne had their conversation outside, Hop Pop and Polly watched the last episodes of the soap opera, barely blinking to moisturize their eyes, but as the last episode's credits rolled, none of them noticed that the battery of the phone was slowly draining to the point of it being at less than 5%.
–Um, Hop Pop? - Asked Polly – why did the screen lose brightness?-, -Well…- Hop Pop attempted to answer –I guess it's… eh… maybe it's about to… um… I actually have no idea of what is happening to it-.
As soon as Hop Pop said that, the phone shut down; he tried to turn it on as Anne had told him before, but the only thing on the screen that popped up when he did so was a rectangle with a line across it.
–Uh… It's not working- said Hop Pop, -Keep trying!- Polly stated -Anne's probably going to get mad if we don't fix it!-; Hop Pop looked around, trying to find Anne so she can help fix it, but he had forgotten she had gone out.
-I don't see her near the fence, Hop Pop- Polly stated after looking through the window, -Gosh dammit! She must have gone into the forest again!- said Hop Pop -Polly, try to see if you can find Sprig. If she's gone out, so may he as well-, -You know I can get lost easily, right?- Polly replied -Well, I don't think we have another choice- he replied -besides, if they hear you, they may come to you-.
Polly just gave a sigh and left through the front door, annoyed that she had to be the one looking for her brother; but then again, she didn't know what to do with the phone, and Anne, being the only one who knew what to actually do, was with him.
For him, it wasn't usual for Anne to head out on some nights if none at all; but now this was happening even more frequently than before and it was concerning everyone in the house
-C'mon old head, think!- Hop Pop said as he inspected the phone - I remember Anne said something about powering it, but what did that actually mean?-. He entered in his study room and began to inspect inspected book after book, trying to find an answer; and as he scrolled through books about elements, he suddenly had a thought.
-What if by power it means electricity?- Hop Pop asked himself -Oh, please I hope I'm wrong cause that would mean one thing-.
As an average bookworm and farmer, Hop Pop knew plenty of stuff that had to do with plants and animals, but electricity was something he never wanted to deal with, as he had once stumbled into a particular creature that could kill a frog with such an element.
As he pulled out a book that contained information about that beast, he heard someone bust down the door. -HOP POP!- Yelled Anne -PLEASE TELL ME YOU FOUND A WAY TO CHARGE MY PHONE!-, -I have- He claimed -but none of you are probably not gonna like it-.
Hop Pop then showed her and the kids the book he had found. -There's this one creature named the "Zapapede"- he explained -this creature is capable of delivering a powerful discharge to anything it hunts down-, -So… You're saying we have to attempt to catch one and make it bite the phone?- Sprig asked nervously, -I am afraid it's the only choice- Hop Pop replied - Luckily for us, they should be hibernating at this time of the year-. -OK… But is there really any other alternative?- asked Polly, -Kids- Hop Pop replied -I'm afraid nothing else can produce electricity like before that war-. -What war?- Anne asked, -And… This is why you should've listened to the story- Hop Pop claimed.
Feeling hungry, Hop Pop decided to make dinner before sending the kids to sleep; and so he let the kids out of his study and into the kitchen so they could help cooking.
-So, where did you head out for, Anne?- Hop Pop asked in a serious tone as he made some cricket soup, -I just needed some air, that's all- Anne lied, -Surely you needed a lot since you took so long to come back- Hop Pop replied
Noticing that the clock was ticking near midnight, Hop Pop decided to call it a day and sent the kids to sleep. -We'll depart tomorrow to where the Zapapedes hibernate- he claimed -we'll need to travel for a day and a half, so y'all better rest well-.
As he said those words, the kids jumped on their beds and tried to quickly fall asleep; Sprig managed to quickly do so while Hop Pop placed Polly in her bucket. He then went downstairs to the basement to bid Anne good night.
-Sleep well, Anne!- Hop Pop said to Anne -don't let those bedbugs bite your ankles-, -Night, HP- she replied as Hop Pop closed the door.
Usually, with everyone asleep, Anne would try and pull out her phone to view videos and photos she had saved before arriving here, but now that her phone was drained of its battery, she could only stare at the ceiling and wait for boredom to make her faint.
Hours passed, and Anne was still waiting for something that would make her fall asleep. Suddenly, she heard the same noise she heard back in the forest; Anne slowly got off her bed and tried to open the basement door as quietly as possible, she then tried to move towards the door when she heard that noise right behind her.
-AAAHHH!- she yelled as she got jump-scared by a pair of glowing lights; but as she recovered from the spook, she realized they were just two pieces of glass shining.
-I'm starting to feel like I'm going crazy- Anne said to herself; she then headed back for the basement when she felt a cold breeze run through her neck. -OK, I THINK SOMEONE'S HAUNTING ME!- she thought out loud and ran back down to her bed.
Hidden below a blanket, Anne was fearfully shivering, hoping whatever ghost she thought was haunting her, but while she couldn't feel anything close to her anymore, the noise now began to sound louder.
-Why is this noise so freaking annoying?!- She thought as she used the pillow to block her ears; she pressed the pillow tighter to her ears, but the noise began to amplify more to the point it became pure, loud banging.
-PLEASE STOP!- Anne yelled loudly and the noise stopped. Scared, she slowly released the pillow and looked around to see if nothing odd was still happening; -Are you OK, Anne?- Sprig asked her as he busted into the basement, -I… I'm fine- Anne replied -I just had a nightmare, that's all-, -WHAT'S HAPPENING?!- Hop Pop yelled out loud as he entered the basement with a flamethrower fly -WHERE'S THE BEDBUG?!-, -Hop Pop! Relax!- Sprig stopped him -she's OK-, -I wouldn't take that for granted!- Hop Pop replied -step aside, kid! This room is under quarantine!-
The Plantar kids left the room for Hop Pop to "cleanse" it; Anne then sat down on the couch with her blanket and decided to sleep there for the night.
-Hey, Anne- Sprig called her as she was just about to sleep, -What is it, Sprig?- Anne replied with a tired voice, -I… I wanted to give you this- Sprig stated as he gave her a dragonfly plushy -I usually hug it to sleep peacefully, and I thought you'd need it to not have nightmares-, -Thanks Sprig- Anne replied.
Sprig then headed back to his room and Anne, hugging the dragonfly, lied back on the couch and looked outside the window. -Why is that thing haunting me?- she thought -Have I awoken something by accident? Did an old spirit get angry at my presence? Was I as rude… as a…-
Having all those questions at once tired Boonchuy, and as a result, she finally fell asleep; Hop Pop, having noticed this as he came out of the basement, decided to adjust her blanket and leave her sleep tightly for the night. Little did they knew that, for a second, the phone's screen had brightened up and showed a message in weird runes.
The next morning, Anne woke up early to try and make herself a bowl of silkworm milk and chocolate maggots. -Woke up early from another nightmare?- Sprig asked as he entered the kitchen to drink some water, -Nah, I'm just hungry- she replied as she sat down on the table and began eating her meal.
Polly and Hop Pop soon joined them in the kitchen, with the latter giving the kids the prep talk. -Listen up, kids! You gotta eat well for the journey ahead, so for today's last house breakfast, we are all eating non sugar food to stay awake and drink water- Hop Pop warned the kids, and directly looked at Anne as he finished that sentence.
-What?- Anne asked in confusion as she ate the last of the bowl of beetles, -Didn't you hear what I say- Hop Pop warned her -NO. SUGAR!-, -I was already eating before you even warned me about it, HP- Anne replied, -Well, remember!- Hop Pop insisted -NO more SUGAR on the trip!-
After the mediocre breakfast Hop Pop had prepared for Sprig and Polly, he packed up some supplies onto a small crate and placed it in a wagon that he had attached to his trusty snail Bessie; the kids soon came down and quickly jumped on the carriage, all ready for the adventure ahead.
-Alright everyone, according to this map, the Zapapede hibernation grounds lie a day and a half away- Hop Pop stated -So we need to make the supplies last long, ALRIGHT?-.
Sprig and Polly knew that the warning was directed at them. Anne however didn't catch the memo as she started drinking water from one of the barrels.
-Uh…Sprig, what is Anne doing?- asked Polly, frightened by Anne's behavior, -She didn't have a good night- Sprig replied while leaning back on his seat -that's all-.
The journey soon began, and along the way Anne began to act even more strange: she started to eat a lot of the grubs stored, she barely slept during the night, and to top it all off every now and then she screamed at the claim she had seen or heard "something".
-Anne, can you please CUT IT!- Yelled Hop Pop, -How come you guys not hear this freaking noise?!- Anne replied -it's been like multiple times I've been hearing it!", -You're probably just daydreaming or something like that!- Hop Pop argued, -I'M NOT LYING DAMMIT!- Anne yelled before crossing her arms and looking away.
As everyone disembarked, Sprig was tasked by Hop Pop to see how much of the resources has Anne wasted, and unfortunately for them it was near the half.
-Anne, are you going on some sort of human state or are you losing it?- asked Hop Pop, -Can we discuss it on the way home, please?!- Anne replied; after all, this was the ninth time in the day that Hop Pop asked her this, and not to even mention the amount of times he did yesterday.
Sprig and Polly helped unpack some stuff out of the crates while Anne tried to help plan a route up the mountain, an after an hour of preparation, the climb began; but the start was slower than it was supposed to: Anne got altitude sickness, Polly kept on complaining about how the trek was long and boring, and Sprig was annoying Hop Pop about whether they had reached the hibernation grounds.
Hours passed, and the family started to get tired from walking; Anne suggested stopping for a while to catch their breath, but just as she mentioned that the clouds began to form up in the sky.
-Looks like we're in for a blizzard boys!- Hop Pop claimed -We better seek shelter before…-; he was suddenly interrupted by a loud hiss. All the kids got stunned by the noise, as they did not know what it was, but Hop Pop knew that noise very well: it was a Zapapede
-RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!- Sprig yelled; Hop Pop immediately hurried the kids back to the way they came from, but the storm had already begun to lower down, covering their vision with a thick fog.
-Sprig, do you see a crevasse?!- Hop Pop asked him in desperation, as he could not see anything; Sprig tried to use the lamp they had, and thankfully he noticed a small hole near the base of a broken cliff.
-Quick! Into that hole before the Zapapede notices us!- Hop Pop ordered, and Sprig guided them to the hole; once inside, Polly and Anne blocked the entrance with a stone just as the Zapapede pounced out of the fog.
-Phew! That really felt enervating!- said Polly; but the coast wasn't clear for them yet, as some of the electricity from the charging insect sparkled around them. -Push!- Sprig yelled as he tried to push the rock to fully block the entrance; Anne and the rest of the Plantars followed example and tried to push it too.
The Zapapede's strength was an equal match, and soon, it managed to poke one of his eyes through; Boonchuy however took the opportunity to charge her phone, and hit the bug's eye with the device, powering it up as well as making it retreat momentarily. -Quick! Press the stone harder!- Anne yelled, and she and the Plantars pushed as hard as they could, wedging the boulder into place.
-Now the coast is clear- Hop Pop replied in exhaustion, -Well, that we can agree on- Anne replied -now… How do we get out?-, -Well, we clearly can't go back where we came from- Sprig replied, -Guess we have no other option than to go deeper, I guess?- Anne stated.
Having stated this, Anne took out her phone, and turned on the flashlight. -Let there be light!- she said to herself. The family began to move deeper into the cave; but as they did so, they noticed that the cave they were in lacked stalagmites or stalactites. It was like if this cave wasn't made by the elements, but by someone instead.
-How deep is this cave?- Sprig asked nervously, after all it has now been a while since they started exploring it, and yet they still haven't found an exit, -I imagine it could be even deeper- Hop Pop replied -Given that this is probably a mine of some sort-.
Just as he said that, Anne bumped into a tall piece of metal and dropped her phone. -Oh dammit! Anyone sees the phone?- Said Anne as she tried to look it in the dark, instead she touched the metal piece that she bumped into and tried to follow it; She noticed that the structure could be a piece of machinery and decided to climb it.
-Anne, I found it!- Said Sprig as he rose the phone up to Anne, shining the surface she was standing on. As soon as he did so the Plantars stumbled backwards. Anne questioned why they did so until she realized that the metal structure she was standing on wasn't pure metal, nor a piece of machinery, it was a foot.
-Anne, I'm gonna need you to slowly climb off that- said Hop Pop -we don't know if this thing could be active or not-; Anne immediately started to slowly climb off when her phone's flashlight began to lose brightness, something was wrong.
-What's happening?- she asked, -I don't know- Sprig replied -I didn't touch the screen at all-. The phone's flashlight suddenly shut off, leaving them all in darkness; Hop Pop suspected it had to do with the giant foot, but Anne looked at their direction frozen in fear, as she noticed a pair of glowing, electric lights behind the Plantars.
-LOOK OUT!- She yelled as the glowing lights lunged at the Plantars, the Zapapede had made its way inside the cave; Hop Pop hurried the kids up the metal foot with the lights at toe. They climbed higher onto the metallic leg and then onto the pelvis, but the Zapapede managed to catch up to them faster than they thought; cornered, the hunter lunged at them only to bite a metallic chest.
The resulting explosion blast launched all of them back to the floor; Anne quickly stood up and tried to take the Plantars back the way they came from, but the Zapapede, having being launched further back by the recoil, cornered them to a wall. Just as the Zapapede lunged to finish them off however, a metallic fist squished the Zapapede's head, splatting internal fluids all over Anne and the Plantars.
Anne cleared the fluids off her face and tried to see what happened, and when she shined the phone flashlight all over the place until she noticed the face of a large robot staring at them; the robot then looked at them with anger, and as he swapped his fist for an in-built gun, he gave a threatening look and asked them a single question:
-What are you doing here?-.