Amphibia: Calamity Warriors
Chapter Fifty-Two: Temple of Souls
Soon enough, after some preparation, the Calamity Warriors made to depart for the frozen north.
The group outfitted both Joe Sparrow and Skye to keep the bird mounts warm before saddling up, taking to the skies, but were beginning to regret this decision, as a massive blizzard swept over the northern region, no doubt due to the mysterious forces. Thankfully, Valor's pyromancy kept them warm and would keep any form of icy weather or obstacles from barring their way, along Ina's hydromancy, which was working through the ice to help Joe Sparrow and Skye fly through the storm without too much issue.
And while most of the Warriors flew on the back of Sky, given that she was the larger bird, the others rode on the back of Joe, with Hop Pop riding in a pocket on the front of Joe's sweater, dubbed the 'Hop Pocket'. In addition, the group dressed heavily to protect themselves from the extreme cold, and to keep the Plantars and Kaemon from being frozen solid.
"Hey look!" Sprig yelled with a pointed finger. "Wooly Elephant Beetles!"
The group turned and saw several herds of large elephant-sized beetles trudging through the snow below, amazed at their lumbering size.
Eventually, Joe Sparrow and Sky landed but both birds ended up slipping on the ice, losing their balances falling into a mound of snow. Shaking off the surprise, the group popped out.
"Welcome to the Amphibian Arctic, everyone!" Marcy declared.
The group looked at the frozen area in awe.
"Marcy and I triangulated the tracking beam from the green stone and if we're correct..." Apollo said as he pulled out a pink carrying case, provided by Marcy, the green gemstone emitting a beam of energy pointing in a direction, only for it to be blocked by Hop Pop's head. "Can you move, gramps?"
"Oh! Sorry." Hop Pop said with a chuckle before bending down on the snow, allowing the beam to travel into the snowy forest.
"The second temple must be right through there." Anne said with a pointed finger.
"Remember to be cautious, everyone." Shadow warned. "This place could be crawling with Risen."
The humans, the Plantars, Apollo and Kaemon followed the green tracking beam and after passing a group of trees they came across an arch, which they assumed was the entrance to the Second Temple. A phrase appeared in blue in ancient language. Anne and Shadow looked ahead and opened their eyes wide at what's directly ahead of them.
Sprig began to shudder at the cold, "Why didn't the stone mention anything about this freezing weather?" He complained, "Couldn't it have given us... I don't know, a heads up?"
Marcy felt the chill as well, remarking, "I hope this temple is worth the freeze. I don't see anything."
"I know right?!" Sprig responded. "How are we supposed to find anything in this-"
He stopped as something touched him, he and Marcy looking forward to see a series of frozen corpses appearing right in front of them, making them scream and fall back. The one in front of Marcy appeared to be insectoid in nature, wearing cobbled-together armor and pieces of purple cloth, on his knees and reaching out with his left hand with a horrified expression on his two sets of hollow eye sockets. His lower set of arms seemed to be torn off, though it was hard to say if it was either born this or they were broken off by the icy wind.
What Sprig, Anne and Shadow saw was a frog, her body perfectly preserved, somehow bearing an uncanny resemblance to Anne herself, much like the newt ghost, Master Emerald bore similar features to Marcy herself.
"First a newt Marcy, now a frog Anne." Valor said. "What's next? Toad Sasha?"
"I wouldn't be surprised, honestly." Kaemon said.
"This ice is different. Wrong." Ina remarked, looking closely at the frozen coffins, inky-veined and heavy with elemental power. "It's as if the corruption is stemmed from its source is staining the power of the Ice into something terrible."
"This creature's expression. Sheer terror." Shadow confirmed. "They never saw it coming until it was too late." He looked down at the frozen frog, confused. "This one knew. Was she waiting for us all this time?"
Marcy focused on the text, reading aloud while translating, "Just beyond these snowy gates, a grueling perilous temple awaits". She kept the green stone in a pocket. Anne and the Plantars reunited with her.
Standing at the archway, the group looked beyond it, but saw nothing but flat land covered in snow, the wind whistling.
"Uuumm... no, it doesn't." Polly stated.
"Hmm... Weird." Marcy said, a finger and thumb to her chin in thought.
"You're telling me." Kaemon exclaimed. "Whare the heck is it?!"
"Could it be invisible?" Sprig suggested, waving his hands about as to feel for it, then tried to lean on something, only to fall face first into the snow.
Marcy studied the transcript, "All the ancient texts about this temple were super vague. They just mentioned the word 'heart' a lot."
"OK. Are we looking for something heart-shaped?" Hop Pop suggested, agreeing with the assessment and holding his hands in the shape of a heart.
"Maybe a heart-shaped box?" Kaemon added.
"Maybe we have to rip someone's heart out!" Polly exclaimed with her and Hop Pop looking at Anne "Hmm?" then looking at Marcy. "Hmm?" Then towards Shadow.
"She's speaking metaphorically, and I think it's spiritual." The boy in black said.
They group pondered for a moment before hearing the squawk of a bird, then ducking as a parrot fly flew over their heads, Anne recognizing the bird, seeing it fly through the arch.
"Hey, wait! I know that crazy bird!" She said.
The group followed the bird, as they cross the arch, leaving behind the two corpses, though it was only one now with the frog having vanished and one of the eye sockets on the insectoid having followed them behind it.
The group followed the bird, said bird cawing 'bird' before the group came to a stop upon seeing a familiar shop. Anne and Sprig looked at the sign that had the name 'Valeriana' on it.
"'Valeriana'?" Sprig read.
"Say, Anne, didn't we meet a salamander by that name in the Bizarre Bazaar?" Kaemon asked.
"Yeah! Oh! And she said she's been all over Amphibia, right?" She said as the group approached the store. "Maybe she's seen the temple." She then saw the 'Out to Lunch' sign, prompting her to groan. "Why is she always out to lunch?"
Suddenly, the ground shook, much to everyone's confusion, before Risen rose from the ground, even emerging from the treetops, letting out various screeches before advancing on the group, weapons out and hungry for blood.
"Risen!" Shadow yelled, drawing out his odachi this time. "Everyone, ready yourselves!"
Everyone did so before engaging the opposing Risen in combat, Ina used her powers to turn the snow around them into water to lash at the approaching enemies.
Still, despite their skills and improved abilities, the group was still outnumbered, the Risen still coming one after another.
"There's no end to them!" Valor yelled. "It's like an ant hill!"
"We're outnumbered!" Ina shouted.
"This could be the end, kids!" Hop Pop screamed, holding his kids close. "I'm just gonna hold you close and never let go!"
Shadow looked to his fellow Calamity Warriors, all nodding. It seemed that they were going to use their Avatars, but just as they were about to do so, the bird Leander flew in, squawking and gaining the attention of the Risen, then…
Bam!
There was the sound of heads getting hit hard before several Risen were sent flying, much to the groups surprise as they turned to see the salamander they were looking for jump into the fray, holding her a quarterstaff before one of the Risen creatures tried to rush her, only for the old salamander to jump over it to dodge its incoming attack, then kicked a second one that tried to leap at her before smacking away two more with her quarterstaff, then sucker punching another with her gloved tail.
The group watched in amazement, as the old salamander held her own, before she stood in front of the group, holding her quarterstaff over her head as the Risen tried to advance on her.
"You! Shall! Not! PASS!" She yelled before slamming the butt of her staff onto the ground, creating a bright light that disintegrated the undead, killing them.
The group was absolutely stunned by the turn of events as Valeriana put away her weapon before pulling out a small stick from her robes, a piece of meat was seen on it.
"And to answer your question," She said, biting off the meat from the stick. "Because it's the most important meal of the day!" She declared before turning to face them. "It's been a while, creature." She said to Anne, before turning her head to Shadow. "Shadow."
"Val." Shadow replied with a nod.
The group looked at him with surprise. "You know her?" Anne asked him.
"'Knowing' her would be an understatement." He answered. "My level of understanding with the Calamity mostly comes from her, in exchange for assisting her with... 'favors'." He shuddered a bit.
Anne raised a hand to ask, but she remembered how he kept quiet when she mentioned that one Saturday on the way to the Court of Nightmares.
"What brings you here? Do you by chance..." Valeriana threw the stick in the air and it expanded, revealing to be her cane, "seek a temple to charge an…" She pointed at Anne with her cane, "...ancient stone?"
"Oh, yes!" Anne confirmed, "You know about the stones?"
"Indeed." She answered, putting her cane in a normal position, "But do you really think you are worthy?" She questioned.
Anne pondered, considering how far they've come since meeting her at the bazaar. "Well... Yeah!" She declared with confidence.
"Totally!" Marcy added supportively.
Valeriana looked to her, then Apollo and back to the human, unconvinced by her words. "We shall see."
"Oh," Marcy responded, giving her a hand and introducing herself. "I'm Marcy, bt-dubs."
Valeriana was a little taken aback by her enthusiasm. "Uh..." She said, using her hand-tail, "nice to meet you."
Hop Pop added to the introductions. "And I'm Hop Pop."
"Uh... hi." She said uneasily.
"Polly here." The tadpole finished, with Valeriana quickly losing patience.
"Sure."
While introductions were underway, Shadow began to see a resemblance between her and the swordswoman that ambushed him at the archives.
But just as they were about to enter the tent, there was the sound of yelling and rattling chains were heard, everyone looking to see Clarissa Fintail suspended by a chain trap connected to a tree.
"Who in the world?" Hop Pop questioned.
"That's the salamander that attacked us back at the archives!" Apollo shouted, his spear drawn and at the ready.
"And almost hurt my baby!" Kaemon added, preparing to draw out his four swords.
"Wait, do not harm her!" Valeriana cried out, standing before them and holding her arms out. "This is Clarissa Fintail…my great granddaughter."
The group gasped in surprise, although Shadow seemed less so. "I thought you two seemed similar, to a degree." He said.
"Her family died years ago, and since then, she blamed you for it." Valeriana said, turning to Shadow. "And she has yet to let go of such agony. I tried to dissuade her from hunting you and saw how that turned out."
Shadow suddenly felt sick and placed a hand to his mouth in disbelief, Anne placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He let out a grunt, connecting the dots.
"I refused to fight her, used the Art of the Silent Fist." He explained. "I saw what I once was in her, but it seems she thinks I see her as unworthy of my attention. She could prove to be a problem later on."
Valeriana chuckled. "I trained her well, perhaps a little too well."
"So, what do we do with her?" Valor asked. "I mean, we can't risk her attacking us again."
"I say we end her misery." Apollo said coldly.
"Wait, let's not resort to bloodshed already!" Marcy spoke up. "Maybe there's another way without anyone getting hurt."
Shadow looked at the opposing salamander, staring back at him with that vengeful look on her face. The boy felt pity for her, the guilty feeling from the atrocities he committed coming back, before he quickly pushed them to the back of his mind.
"Let me speak with her." He said, surprising the group.
"Are you serious?" Kaemon asked with a raised brow.
"Look, let me handle this." Shadow insisted. "Perhaps she can be turned away from the path she walks now."
The group watched him make his way over, Valor, Ina, Apollo and Marcy giving confused looks. Why would this salamander blame Shadow for the tragedy of her past? Something didn't make sense.
Shadow walked up to the trapped salamander, before she suddenly started flailing about, trying to free herself, but the chains proved too strong to break. As the boy stood before her, the vengeful salamander glared at him in anger.
"Die! Die! Why won't you die?! Scum, I will be triumphant!" She yelled at him in anger. "I will undo the evil that is you, Black Wolf! I will kill you, as long as I have breath in my body, I will strike you down! Your death will be my reward!"
Shadow looked at her with pity in his eyes, understanding the feeling she had all too well.
He took in a breath and spoke, "I get you want revenge, I really do, but you should know that I…" He stopped himself, as though he was trying to convince himself as well, to what he was about to say. "I wasn't thinking straight at the time. And after it ended, I regretted what I've done."
"Deceiver! Worm! MONSTER!" Clarissa shouted.
"Now, you're just repeating yourself." Shadow said, pointing out that she called him a monster when they first met. Clarissa growled as she tried to reach for him. "Now, as you probably saw, this place is crawling with Risen. They're especially active at night, looking for something to make their meal."
"And what, you plan to leave me here?" She questioned. "Let those things get rid of the only witness to your crime?"
"No, I want you to accompany us. Provided that we keep you restrained until further notice." This took the salamander by surprise at first, but her glare remained, not trusting him in the slightest. "Despite what you think of me, I'm not the monster I was before, and I don't want you to get killed by the Risen or die from the cold. So, you have a choice, tell me to leave and let fate be your decider, or you can come with us, as we charge the stone."
"And why would I ever travel with the likes of you?" She demanded.
"Because, after we get home, I can give you what you want most." He answered politely. "A duel, you and me, no magic, no powers, just our blades."
This shocked Clarissa. There was no way his was being serious.
"No dodging?" She asked.
"No dodging." He confirmed.
She narrowed her eyes at him, her hatred still brewing in her. Finally, she let out a sigh.
"Fine, cut me down."
Shadow nodded before cutting the chain that kept her suspended, the magician girl dropping to the ground with a startled yelp.
"Ow! Warn me!" She snapped.
"Sorry." Shadow said, helping her up and, with a hand on the chains still wrapped around her, guided her to Valeriana's tent.
The two approached the tent, the young magician sharing a look with her great grandmother, Valeriana looking back with a sympathetic look before allowing Shadow to bring her in, everyone following shortly after.
"Just give me a moment." The old salamander said, moving over to a shelf.
Shadow pulled out an apple and a tanto and was about to start peeling it, before taking notice of the young salamander glaring at him. He understood everyone's caution, but he wanted to at least try to give her a chance to abandon the path of vengeance. So, wanting to be kind to her, he cut his apple in half, and brought a piece to her face, since she couldn't use her arms at the moment. She looked at the apple piece for a moment, before biting a piece of it and chewing it. Shadow smiled, thinking that she was starting to warm up to him and his friends…
Ptew!
Only to feel the chewed bit on his eye, after she spat at him, causing the rest of his friends to gasp. Shadow wiped the spit off, looks at it, then the glaring salamander, then back at his hand with a raised eyebrow.
"Huh, not a fan of apples. Got it." He said, wiping it on the ground.
"So, uh…I'm guessing you know about the temples?" Anne asked the older salamander, hoping to change the subject.
"I am the last of an ancient order." Valeriana explained as they sat at a table, "Our purpose was to study the sacred stones and..." She showed them a scroll "-temples."
Marcy ogled the information stored in the document. "Ooh! So, you know where the temple is?"
She gave the rogue a nod. "Indeed. " She replied. "And you possess the music box?"
"Sure do." Anne responds, taking out the Calamity Box from her backpack.
Shadow gave her a stern look, telling her a silent command to not be so careless with the only known means to return to Earth.
Valeriana looked attracted to the relic, instinctively reaching out to it. "After all these years, it has returned." She muttered. "I should very much like to hold it."
Shadow raised an arm in between the two, shaking his head to not cross that line.
"Uh... I'd rather hold on to it." Anne said uncomfortably, putting the Calamity Box back in her backpack.
The salamander quickly recomposed herself and shrugged. "Suit yourself." She got up and walked to a closet and took out warm clothes. "To get to the temple, we must climb the freezing cliffs of Mount Mutu. Leave your flimsy jackets and wear these caterpillar-wool coats instead." She passed the group, handing them out.
"Woo." Sprigs looks in awe at the coat with Polly adding. "So fuzzy."
Shadow looked at the coat and compares it to the arctic armor he helped craft. Sentiment aside, the attire he helped create was far superior to what Valeriana offered. He also knew that whenever she had something in mind, she does it in an insufferably cryptic manner. He channeled a little power into the coat, setting it ablaze. Anne looked at him with a puzzled gaze, but decided to rework the coat into a cloak. Plus it tied into her scarf nicely.
"Since this temple is my responsibility, you all must do exactly as I say." She told them, before pointing to them sternly. "Or else you can say goodbye to ever finding it. Are we clear?"
"Clear!" Anne, Sprig, Polly and Marcy all said at once.
"Crystal." Kaemon nodded.
"Clear and comfy." Hop Pop agreed with her.
Shadow and Apollo exchanged concerned looks at each other, then look at her and sighing. "Fine." They concede, with the former adding. "But I would like to speak with you in private about something, Val."
Valeriana smiled and nodding in his direction. "Good. Follow me." She said, leaving the store, while the Plantars and Marcy followed her, Kaemon following behind with Clarissa in tow, with Shadow taking the lead as Anne stopped Sprig to talk to him in private.
"Something's not right about this lady." Anne said quietly.
"Huh?" Sprig replied in confusion.
"Didn't you see how she looked at the music box?" She explained. "Plus, she owns a parrot. Only bad guys own parrots."
Sprig simply shrugged off her suspicions, clearly convinced by whatever the salamander had portrayed. "That's ridiculous, Anne. Now come on or they'll leave us behind!" Sprig left the store to follow Valeriana, Anne groaning suspiciously before following.
Shadow walked up to Valeriana, just far enough that they were out of earshot of the others. "It's good to see you again, Azazel." Valeriana said to him. "I see that you took my advice and you finally told her the truth."
"I would've preferred a different approach, but you know how magpies get when they get in the mood." Shadow answered with a jest. "Back in the Temple of Wits, we saw some pretty interesting things. Living nightmares. Undead risen from their graves. Two humans so identical to Marcy, they may be considered either triplets or the same person."
Valeriana turned to him with a confused look as he continued, the boy in black passing her a piece of paper. "After conquering the corrupted temple, we soon learned that Anne has been branded with a special kind of mark, similar to mine." He explained, his tone barely containing his dread. "I fear that if circumstances allow, she may walk the same path as I did five years ago, and finish what I forsook."
Taking the paper, the salamander opened it up and saw the wolf mark, then quickly crumpled said paper and discarded it. "The Mark of the End. With that creature?" She muttered, making Shadow's eye twitch. "If both the Marks of Armageddon and the End are in play, then that must mean that prophecy Mother Olm spoke of The Sentinel was true. He is responsible for all that has happened."
Shadow's interest was piqued in an unsettled way. For half a decade, he thought his curse was called the Mark of Damnation. For it to be called something else was something he didn't expect.
Putting that to the side for now, he decided to focus on the mission at hand.
A few minutes later, the group had begun their climb up the mountain. Before they began the climb, Kaemon held Clarissa on his back with his tail like a backpack, while Ina used her hydromancy to create steps to make the climb easier.
Meanwhile, Valeriana had already reached a cliff above another, all the while shouting at them to hurry.
"Quickly, you lot! I'd like to reach the temple in this century." She shouted. "How could adventurers so lazy ever expect to conquer the temple?"
Anne growled at the salamander's insults before she and Shadow helped the others up. "Don't listen to her, guys. We're almost there." She assured her friends.
"You'd think she'd ease up and not be so harsh." Kaemon remarked. "Getting to these temples ain't exactly easy."
"I admit, my great grandmother's always been a rough teacher." Clarissa spoke up. "But she always pushes those under her tutelage to do better."
"I don't feel urged to do better." Ina said under her breath.
Suddenly, Valeriana inconspicuously started whistling. Shadow took notice of something coming at them from a distance.
"Valor?" He said.
"Yes?"
"You see it too, don't you?"
"Yep. Too big to be a cardinal, moving too fast." Valor answered with a nod. "Orders?"
Shadow raised a finger, to check for wind direction and speed and pointed in the direction of it.
"Elemental spear. 45-Degree Angle. Full Power."
The pyromancer nodded before he created a flaming spear and threw it precisely in the direction Shadow was pointing. An impact sounded through the storm before a skeletal dragon descended in their direction, the group managing to move out of the way before it crashed into the snow before them. An ominous blue glow faded from its eyes and the crystal in its chest, stained red by the corpse of a cardinal, the flesh barely hanging on to its legs, though it seemed more preserved on its spine and tattered wings.
"Well, there's the cardinal." Marcy said.
"That's quite the beast." Apollo remarked. "The magic in this region must be quite strong."
"That was one heck of a use of math's, Shadow." Anne said to her boyfriend. "Something Karlia taught you?"
"She was a great teacher." Shadow nodded before turning to Clarissa, who was still on Kaemon's back. "You're welcome, by the way."
"I'd be happier as that beast's excrement, than be grateful to you!" Clarissa snarled at him.
"Wow, okay, we'll just let you die next time then." Valor told her with his arms folded.
"Valor!" Ina chastised him.
"What? She's the one being an ungrateful bi..." He said before trailing off, remembering that kids were present, and said, "Hive! A beehive of ungratefulness. Saved it!"
"Look, all that matters is that we averted a disaster." Shadow told them. "As long as we reach the temple soon-"
"It won't be soon!" Valeriana berated the boy in black, pointing at him with her hand-tail. "You think it wise to act so recklessly?"
"What do you mean reckless?" Anne questioned. "He made the right call and landed the hit!"
Suddenly, the old salamander hit Anne upside the head with her staff. "Impulsive and defensive! Very unworthy qualities, I must say." She said before walking away.
Anne growled at the salamander, while Shadow had a raised brow, wondering what game the old salamander was playing at.
"Ever heard of Elysium?"
This question Kaemon asked seemed random, but Shadow knew the swordnewt long enough to understand his fascination, no, obsession with swords of all kinds. The various swords he had lining his walls in his room was proof of that, having collected them throughout his journey, be it through purchase or defeating the swordsmen he came across.
"Well, that seems random." Anne remarked. "What're you talking about?"
"From what I heard of, Elysium was a legendary blade of great power." Kaemon explained. "It was a blade that once belonged to a great warrior, capable of destroying an entire kingdom."
Shadow's interest was piqued by this. If such a blade existed, then he could only dread the idea of such a weapon falling into the wrong hands.
"From what I heard, the blade was lost in time," Kaemon went on. "But rumors claimed the blade could be found in the northern region of the continent, unguarded, but many that tried to seek it out had perished."
"Keep up, you slow pokes!" Valeriana yelled.
The group continued following the old salamander up the mountain, all the while she silently jabbed at them.
"It's so fortunate that the music box fell into such average hands." She stated. "How exactly did it come into you possession?"
"Uh..." Anne hesitated at first, noticing Marcy giving her the 'zip it' gesture. "You know? I don't remember how we got it."
"Hey, look!"
Looking to where Kaemon was pointing, they notice that the entire formation appeared to have been hollowed out for its innards to be turned into a giant citadel, of ancient, futuristic technology, seemingly dedicated to the Black Dragon, along with aspects of death and cold.
"We are nearly there." Valeriana declared. "The Frostbound Citidel."
Everyone looked at the ancient citadel in awe, as well as concern for what awaited them within.
"People actually lived here?" Marcy asked.
"There were many ancient cities in many places." Valeriana answered. "This place is no different."
Just then, there was a rumbling sound that caught their attention.
"Huh... What was that?" Polly asked with concern.
"Nothing much." Valeriana shrugged, waving the concern away casually with her hand-tail. "Just an avalanche."
"What?!" Everyone gasped, even Apollo, who was usually calm in most situations, gave a look of shock.
"Everybody run!" Sprig screamed, about to run, only to be stopped when Clarissa wrapped her tail around his mouth to shut him up.
"Will you be quiet, you loud little frog brat?!" The purple salamander magician hissed. "Are you trying to hasten our demise?!"
The rumbling got louder, the group looking up to see parts of the mountain top collapse, snow and ice beginning to form an avalanche. Thankfully, it was falling away from the group.
Valeriana let out a sigh of relief. "Whew. Looks like it's heading away from us."
Looking at the avalanche, Ina looked down and gasped before running off towards it.
"Ina, what're you doing?!" Anne yelled.
Running as fast as her legs could carry her before stopping in front of what looked like an igloo before throwing her arms out, pushing her powers to the max to keep the avalanche from advancing further.
"Wait a second. Look!" Valor said loudly, pointing at the hut behind his friend. "That's why Ina ran off; Someone might be inside!"
"He's right, we have to save them and Ina!" Anne agreed.
"How? By running towards an avalanche?" Valeriana said dismissively. "They are lost, child. I say we press on."
"And leave Ina behind? Screw that!" Valor yelled before jumping down.
Anne groaned as she looked beyond her, seeing the frozen frog before, carrying a knowing expression on her face, pointing in the direction of the hut. She groaned, knowing what she must do.
"Nuts to that!" She exclaimed, and without hesitation, she jumped and darted after Valor, not wanting her friends to get hurt.
"Anne!" The group gasped, but Shadow held an arm out to stop them.
"Have faith in them." Shadow said.
While Valor ran for Ina, Anne made a mad dash towards the hut, barging through the door.
"Hey! You guys gotta get outta- Huh?"
She paused before she took notice of the occupants. they all appeared to be female humans, two of them in combat against each other. One was clad in toad garb, caterpillar hood, goggles and bandana covering her face, the second was clad in Newtopian plate armor, her face concealed by the helm, the third was much older, her face shrouded by a blue cloak.
The two stopped fighting before they took notice of Anne at the door, all looking at each other in shock and confusion, Anne especially in shock as they took off their helm and bandana; they were alternate versions of Anne!
"That's unusual!" They and Anne declared, pointing at each other.
"Now is not the time to be standing around slackjawed!" The figure in blue yelled before forcing them out of the hut.
With the hut destroyed, Anne grabbed Ina and Valor before taking off with the other Anne's, quickly climbing up the cliff before the avalanche could bury them.
"Anne! We gotcha!"
The group quickly pulled Anne and the variants to safety, all letting out breaths of relief.
One the other hand, the Anne in armor took a good look at Marcy, with Apollo standing before her protectively, before she sheathed her dagger.
"Holy hoot, more Anne's!" Polly exclaimed, pointing at the Anne variants.
"You okay?" Kaemon asked the main Anne with concern.
"I'm fine. I'm fine." Anne said, letting out several pants of breath.
"Everyone. Look."
Hearing Shadow, everyone turned and looked before letting out horrified gasps. As far as the eye could see, they saw many more huts destroyed by the avalanche, entire skeletons of skylines of a city completely frozen, icicles flowing from the side.
"Whoa, talk about a tragedy." Kaemon remarked.
"More importantly," Sprig spoke up, pointing at the other Anne's. "Who the heck are these guys?!"
"First, multiple Marcy's, and now Anne?!" Hop Pop said. "Were there any siblings we weren't aware of, Anne?"
"Nope, I'm an only child." Anne answered. "So, what the heck is going on?"
"I'm sensing a short time skip coming." Kaemon randomly said.
A quick explanation later…
"So, let me get this straight," Marcy said, pointing at the Anne in armor. "You're if Anne ended up at Toad Tower, right?"
"That's right." Toad Anne nodded.
"And you're if Anne ended up at Newtopia, correct?" Marcy went on, pointing at the Anne in the bandana and goggles.
"Yup." Newt Anne replied.
"And you…actually, I have no idea about you." Marcy said, pointing at the older one in the cloak.
"You may call me Anna." She said.
Shadow couldn't help but feel some level of suspicion about Anna.
"Man, this keeps getting weirder." Valor said.
"Well, looks like we've gotta get you guys back to your worlds." Anne said. "Let's just hurry and get to the temple."
"Oh, that won't be happening." Valeriana said, standing before them. "I've learned all I need to know about you lot. Disobedient, foolish, impulsive. None of these qualities are worthy of the sacred stones." She glared at Shadow. "This is supposed to be someone you taught over these months? You don't deserve my help." She then turned away from them. "Good luck finding that temple on your own."
At this point, Anne was at her breaking point, having put up with the salamander's verbal abuse for the sake of the mission. But now, she could stand it no more.
"You are full of such frog spit!" She snapped, prompting the others to gasp in shock, even Shadow, Apollo were taken aback, was especially shocked.
Having known her great grandmother for so long, even Clarissa knew better than to evoke the old salamander's wrath.
The old salamander spun to face her, outrage in her eyes.
"Oh, come on. You barely even gave us a chance!" Anne continued. "Not only that, now you're gonna strand us out here?" She then pointed at the old mage. "Well, we may be unworthy, but you and your order are even worse! You're nothing but a cruel, judgmental snob!" Her last statement echoed through the mountains.
"Brat!" Valeriana snapped in severe offense, pulling up to the Thai girl and pressing the head of her staff against her chest. "You dare insult the order I have dedicated my entire life to?"
"And yet you refuse to contribute." Shadow spoke up, having had enough of Valeriana's harsh judgement as he stepped in between them. "You claim to be the only thing protecting Amphibia, but all I see is a decrepit old woman running away from responsibility. All that time and you could've made a difference."
"You throw stones from a glass house, boy." Valeriana countered. "You say I have done nothing in all this time, yet in the five years you've been hiding in the boonies, you have allowed the world to crumble."
"Who are you to lecture anyone? At least I'm trying to put things right." Shadow had his own counter argument at the ready. "Meanwhile, you hide away from civilization and gave up on Amphibia entirely. Since the day we met, you've done nothing but discourage me. And on the rare occasions you've chosen to help, you have done so little, you may as well have done nothing at all!"
"How dare you!" She snapped.
"Tell me then, old friend. On whose watch did Amphibia falter?" Shadow challenged. "Whose inaction is it that the Risen have become so spread out, that they threaten an entire universe?"
"If I sought to dissuade you, it was because you knew nothing." Valeriana retorted. "If I was reluctant to contribute, it was because you were naïve. A thousand times you would have died and taken gods know how many with you!" She then got in the boy's face. "Life is not a fairytale and there are no happy endings!"
"No. Not when people like you are left in charge." Shadow said, pushing her back.
"You are walking a dangerous line." Valeriana sneered.
"Yeah? What're you gonna do about it?" Anne challenged, pointing at the old salamander.
Suddenly, a magic circle opened above them, much to their shock, the circle itself large and giving off an ominous dark blue color. Its light shined before entrapping Shadow and Anne, along with Valeriana and the three Anne variants before vanishing, taking its victims with it.
"Anne! Shadow!" Sprig yelled, running up to the spot where his friends were whisked away.
"Did you guys see that?" Polly asked.
Suddenly, they saw dark forms emerge from the snow, the group gasping as the being frozen in ice had broken free, rising from beneath the snow. And to make matters worse, the undead dragon had risen back up, letting out a demonic roar before it began to advance on the group.
"The undead are rising again!" Hop Pop screamed in horror.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Valor yelled.
"Looks like we've gotta fight our way up." Kaemon said, pulling out his blades. "Come on, everyone! Anne and Master need us!"
"Yeah, to the top!" Marcy exclaimed, readying her crossbow.
The group began their fight to the top, doing their best to fight through the horde of undead and Risen alike, all the while the undead dragon took to the skies and began raining blue flames upon the group, forcing them to take cover to avoid getting burned.
Peeking from behind his cover spot, Apollo took notice of beings that looked strangely humanoid among the undead, casted in neon blue flame.
"Some strange beings are among them." He informed the group. "They must be empyreans."
"Wouldn't they be hippogryph's?" Marcy asked.
"Not in this world!" Apollo shouted back.
The group continued to fight their way up the mountain before the dragon swooped in, aiming to scoop up the Plantars within its undead jaws.
"No! Not like this!" Sprig screamed in horror.
"I'm too cute to die!" Polly added.
Suddenly, Valor ran in with a battle cry and jumped on the neck of the dragon, digging his fire daggers into the throat, causing the beast to recoil its head back, the force sending Valor upward before he dove back down, right into the beasts mouth!
"VALOR!" Ina screamed in horror.
"NO!" Apollo and Marcy yelled in shock.
Just as the dragon brough its attention to its supposed prey, its mouth suddenly emitted smoke before being followed by an erupting flame.
"HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE!" Valor could be heard from within its jaws. "YOU THOUGHT I WAS FINISHED?!"
The dragon roared in pain as Valor flew out, leaving a burning trail of flame as he ejected from the dragon's maw before landing on the ground in a superhero pose.
"BOOM!" He exclaimed before jumping to his feet. "Told you! I'm an eternal flame, baby!"
The dragon roared in fury, before Apollo and Kaemon joined the burning boy's side, ready to fight.
Meanwhile, Shadow and Anne, along with Valeriana and the Anne variants found themselves at the entrance to an unfamiliar hallway, frozen and covered in ice, giving off a chilling atmosphere.
Valeriana looked around, utterly dumbfounded. "Something's wrong. I was supposed to bring us to the temple's summit. Not here."
"The chill of this place... I can feel my blood freezing." Anne remarked, rubbing her hands.
Shadow moved forward and spotted a strange relic in the distance. "What is that? Up ahead! Could it be? Everyone, at my side!" He ran ahead of them and before them lied a crystalline statue made of blue ice standing vigil, bearing Anne's visage, ominously matching her current attire down to the exact detail.
It was carrying a crystalline and ice-like sword with a glowing sphere and a sleek appearance in her hands. The handguard featured a feminine face and the blade's blunt edge is lined with various runic symbols. For some reason, the handguard appeared to have some kind of foreign substance, with the feeling that they're being watched from inside the inky sapphire jewel within. Alongside her were constructs of two wolves, one white and the other black, an emerald snake and a pink heron hovering behind, wings spread outward.
"Is this the inhabitants' interpretation of the Blue Maiden?" Valeriana gasped, looking to it and the Annes and back again.
"I... I don't believe it. Elysium stands before us - unguarded - just as Kaemon said." Shadow remarked, the Newt Anne and his Anne looking to him, recalling the story Kaemon mentioned of the blade.
"Elysium... the blade that destroyed an entire kingdom." Anne muttered.
"Can you remove it?" Toad Anne asked her.
Anne walked up to it and reached out to touch it, before Valerian pulled her back.
"Don't touch it!" She shouts. "Touch that blade and your soul will be scarred for all eternity! That is the Sentinel's blade!" Shadow and Anne wince as the counterparts look at them confused, clearly unaware of the now-fallen deity that haunt this world. "I dare not touch it. Not again." She whispered, looking to her missing arm. "I must attempt to commune with the spirits within Elysium. Perhaps our salvation lies within." She stated, preparing an incantation. "Give me space. Back up, please."
As she muttered the incantation, Shadow and the Anne's looked around to notice a series of frozen mirrors beginning to shimmer, showing more copies of Anne. Two of them show those mentioned by the variants. One showed Toad Marcy with Grime before a warhammer before it shifted to that of Sasha, twigs and leaves in her hair, her attire similar to Anne's school uniform when she first arrived in Amphibia along with Ivy and Sprig. Another mirror shows a version of Sasha wearing garb similar to Marcy's Ranger attire and Marcy taking on Anne's role, having misadventures with Maddie.
More images were shown, some of them having the dark presence in them; a frog Anne, toad Sasha and newt Marcy in a world of humans. One where the trio landed together and fight for survival. One where the personalities are shuffled instead of destinations. One where they arrived years before now. A cataclysmic mirror of reversed morals, a dark Anne, a wise, but cold Marcy with Sasha as a nervous wreck, standing above Andrias' core and white mechanical tentacles. One where the box was destroyed. One where a version of her, along with human versions of Sprig, Polly, Maddie and Toadie are fighting a cat monster with pupils identical to that of 'PLAY' and 'PAUSE' buttons. Two where both worlds were the same, one in Amphibia, the other on Earth, one where the trio landed in different realms, different Earths of past, present and future. Ones where Anne took the role of player and/or custom avatar characters in video games. One where she appeared in a realm of magic and boiling seas. One with her in dark clothing and a black diadem with coral like horns, behind her a black machine.
There were many others out there, many good, many bad, and some downright ugly ones. But they were all here, and as Shadow began to notice that at least half of them were completely blackened out, leaving a ghostly echo of an Anne behind, staring out at them.
"So many timelines, so many universes, so many possibilities in this omniverse, so little time. Yet all the time to extinguish each and every one." Shadow said out loud. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Other windows show a gender bent version of the trio and one where Anne weirdly pointed out, "Is that... me as a cartoon bird person?" She asked.
"Focus." Shadow reminded her.
Anne and her counterparts looked around and the original began to see as he did.
"O-Omniverse?" Newt Anne repeated, getting nervous.
Shadow looked to her, "You don't know about the omniverse, or at least the multiverse?" he asked them.
The two shake their heads. "I-I... really don't, sorry. Trying to find a way back to our worlds with our friends has taken up a lot of my thoughts."
Valeriana mentally chuckled at their ignorance.
"Huh. Well? I guess we get to teach you." Anne said, clapping her hands.
She and Shadow used a fraction of their powers to form a mirror behind them. It was a good thing Anne expanded Shadow's cultural awareness of things and fought Toad Marcy, or else this would've gone over all their heads.
"Your entire existences have been lived out in a singular universes." Shadow explained, pointing to Toad Anne and the first mirror. "You landed in the South Tower and became a part of Grime's army, if not willingly, Marcy landed in Wartwood, taken in by Maddie's family and the two of you have a 'falling out'. I have a feeling of what you're going to say, but don't say it, Anne. I'm also guessing that Sasha landed in Newtopia, correct?"
Toad Anne tensed up, remembering what her Marcy told her, she glared at him, still determined to tell him the truth and nodded.
Anne pointed at her knightly self. "You landed in Newtopia, befriended Andrias and reunited with Sasha, accompanied by Ivy's family with Sprig in tow. She tells you about your Marcy, who landed in the South Tower. Am I getting warm?" She asked Newt Anne, who winced and nodded. They chuckled oddly.
"But beyond those horizons lie a near infinite amount of alternate existences. These 'AU's and 'AT's or Alternate Universes and Timelines are so many in number, it's impossible to count them all." She continued as Shadow finished, ending on a strange note that makes Anne concerned. "Every decision we make, sprouts a new universe. Likewise... every conceivable version of you exists somewhere, and people like me simply don't. Heh. Makes you feel pretty small, huh? ...I really do... HATE THEM."
"Satanael! Is that really you?" An Anne-esque voice called out, changing the subject and making all turn to see the frog Anne again, now as a ghost like Emerald.
"Azura!" Valeriana blurted out. "Dear Azura! I...I'm so sorry."
"Mother, you don't have much time." Azura warns them, "The First Devil sees what the sword sees. He is already here."
"The Black Dragon is here?" Anne said with worry. "Maybe I..."
The frog shook her head. "No, oh reincarnation of mine. Satanael is not 'here'. He, like this Spire of the Soulless' queen, is merely a presence within the Cataclysm's own mind, a reawakening presence..."
"But Azura," Anne pleaded. "If there's any hope of reaching who he once was. I... I must try."
Azura sighed. "Anne, listen to me. You must destroy the fallen god. You cannot reason with him. He will kill you and everyone you know and raise you all as powerful Corruptants, as part of his champions."
"Tell me how, Azura." Valeriana asked. "How do I destroy our god? My..."
"Snap out of it, Mother." Azura told her. "You must find his first shadow and destroy him at the place where he was born - the Transcendence. It is the only way."
Anne was the first to get it. "You're right, Azura." She conceded, "Forgive me. I... I don't know what got a hold of me. We will deliver this information to the others."
"Azura, tell me; what happened here?" Shadow asked. "How did it become so…cold?"
"It was once a thriving nation, rivaling that of even Newtopia back then." Azura explained. "But suddenly, a dark presence awakened here, something terrible happened and the entire kingdom was out under an absolute flash freeze that existed to this day. Restoring the gem and erasing the dark presence would allow the region to thaw out."
"I understand." Shadow nodded.
"There is... something else that you should you about the Sentinel." Azura added. "Control over the Corruptants must never be lost. Even if you're able to strike him down, another must take his place. For without control of its master, the Corruptants would run rampant across Creation - destroying all things. A grand sacrifice by a noble soul..."
The words settle in as the mood darkens.
"Who could bear such a burden?" Newt Anne asked her.
She shook her head in uncertainty "I don't know. I suspect that the piece of the original Satanael that might be left inside the Black Dragon is all that holds the Cataclysm from annihilating Amphibia and Earth."
Anne looked upward. "Then maybe there is still hope..."
Azura suddenly became wracked with pain as she was being pulled into the blade. "No, Anne! ARRRRRRG... He... is... coming. You... must..."
"SILENCE, REINCARNATION OF HEART!" Satanael's voice rang through the hall, shattering the ice statue as the blade was pulled into the darkness.
"So, you wish to commune with the dead? You shall have your wish." A dark, female voice chimed in, "Sasha, Marcy. Bring their corpses to us when you are through. Leave the echo and the Prime Heart Bearer alive, but they don't have to be in one piece."
Two entities appeared opposite to each other, looking like Anne's friends, but appearing to have characteristics more synonymous with Anne herself. "As you wish, milady. Soldiers of the cold dark, rise to meet your master's call!"
Risen rose from all sides, all eager to answer their master's call.
"Men, women and children... None were spared the master's wrath. Your death will be no different." The female voice echoed. "The master surveyed his kingdom and found it... Lacking. His judgement was swift and without mercy: DEATH TO ALL!"
The group drew out their weapons as the Risen start to surround them.
"You won't deny us this, monster!" Shadow and Anne said at the same time. "We must know... we must find out..."
They chased after him through the hallway, reaching a recreation of the Newtopian throne, with a dead duplicate of Anne sitting neatly upon it, a smile on her necrotized flesh with a shadowy copy of Shadow standing before them.
"Your allies have arrived Savisa, just as you promised. You will all become powerful agents of the Cataclysm." Satanael uttered, "I will not make the same mistake again, Valeriana. This time there will be no escape. You will all serve me in darkness and death!"
Valeriana voiced the sentences before becoming more vocal. "There's nothing left of the Sentinel. Only the Black Dragon remains... They are too powerful, we must leave this place at once! My magic will hold him in place for only a short time! Come quickly, heroes! We must reach the temple's summit before we are overwhelmed!"
Newt Anne then stunned the Lich King with a well-placed enchanted arrow, making the form dissipate momentarily. They all ran to the left of the throne as the dead Anne's head followed them and the shadow chased them. An ice wall stopped their progress as the Dark Shadow was heard behind them, "Foolish girl, you love that which I killed long ago. He is less than a ghost now, a faint echo in my existence. There is no escape!"
"No wall can hold the Royal Guard! I will destroy this barrier." Toad Anne says, "You must hold the Empyrean back!"
While Toad Anne went to work on the ice wall, the rest of the group fought back the horde. Soon enough, Toad Anne was able to shatter the ice wall, allowing the group to keep moving.
"Death's cold embrace awaits. Rise, minions! Do not let them escape!" Dark Shadow yelled from within the horde.
"He's toying with us! I will show him what happens to ice when it meets fire!" Toad Anne shouted with determination, pulling out a small flask before dousing her sword with what looked like oil, then throwing two more to Shadow and Anne. "Set your blades aflame, it'll make it easier!"
Nodding, the two did as Toad Anne suggested, setting their swords aflame before fighting off the Risen, before soon enough running into a second ice wall.
"Succumb to the chill of the grave. The end is upon you, enter oblivion!" Dark Shadow yelled.
"Another ice wall! Stand strong, champions!" Valeriana encouraged the young warriors. "Keep the Empyrean from interrupting my incantation so that I may bring this wall down!"
Valeriana began to work her magic, while the others kept the Risen off her back, cutting down several groups at a time, before finally, the ice wall came crumbling down, allowing the group to pass while fighting off the horde. Once more, they came across yet another Ice wall.
"Another dead end. You really were bad at directions, Ms. Boonchuy." Dark Shadow chuckled.
"I'm seriously getting tired of these games, demon! Your walls can't stop me!" Anne yelled. "We're almost there...Don't give up!"
Once more, they stood their ground while Valeriana worked her incantation, and soon the wall crumbled and the group moved on, running into yet another ice wall.
"How long can you fight it?" The dark entity queried. "Why bother holding back the darkness within our own souls?"
"Your barriers can't hold us back much longer, monster." Shadow said with determination. "I will shatter them all!"
Raising his blade, Shadow struck the final ice wall, shattering it.
"There's an opening up ahead. GO NOW!" Valeriana yelled, the group running further in. They kept running until they hit a dead end.
"The path ends there - you're trapped!" The dark entity said as he approached, laughing maniacally.
"It... It's a dead end. We have no choice but to fight. Steel yourselves, for this is our last stand!" Newt Anne declared, readying her crossbow.
Dark Shadow, accompanied by the dead Anne, who put her arm around his shoulder, spoke in unison with her. "Nowhere to run... You're mine now!"
At that moment, the ghost of an airship came up from below, much to the shock and confusion of the group.
"Fire! FIRE!"
The ship's guns opened fire on the tunnel, collapsing it and cutting the undead entities off from the group. The ship then disappeared as a portal manifested.
"Quickly, climb inside! We mustn't tarry here." Valeriana yelled. "There's no telling when this whole mountainside will collapse!"
They jumped into the portal before arriving in a room distant from their pursuers, finally allowed a moment to catch their breaths.
"Forgive me, heroes." Valeriana apologized, "I should have listened to Azura. I... I just had to see for myself. To look into her eyes one last time. I am sorry."
"Clarissa was one thing, but Azura?" Shadow spoke up. "I had no idea that she was your daughter."
"Another reminder of my failure." The old salamander said. "We now know what must be done. I will deliver this news to the right people when we're done."
After a moment of respite, the group continued onward, hoping to reach the summit soon.
Meanwhile, back outside, the remainder of the group was fighting off the undead horde as best they could, with Marcy firing away at the horde, with Ina by her side lashing with her water whips, with the Plantars behind them.
Meanwhile, the boys Valor, Kaemon, and Apollo were fighting the undead dragon, the beast slamming its front feet down onto the ground to create a shockwave, the boys barely able to avoid it. The dragon then started charging up and firing an ice blast from its mouth, which the boys were able to dodge before Apollo threw a light spear at the head of the beast, then slamming the end of his spear into the ground to cause said light spear to explode, disorienting the beast for a moment and allowing the boys to attack the head, dealing as much damage as they could before it got back up.
The boys readied themselves as the beast stared them down, before it turned its head to the left, the boys following its gaze and saw it was looking dead at the girls and the Plantars!
Marcy saw the beast in time to move herself and the others before it leaped with a snap of its jaws, biting a bit off the wooden platform, causing a wooden crane to tilt forward a bit.
"Marcy, are you alright?!" Apollo called up to his girlfriend.
"We're fine!" Marcy replied.
Seeing the crane gave the newt prince an idea. "Marcy, I have a plan! Be ready to drop the crane on my mark!"
"Okay!"
With the plan in motion, Apollo and his two allies continued their assault on the dragon, all the while the beast blasted at them with its ice breath and stomping the ground to hurt them. With a clear shot, Valor launched a fireball at a weak spot on the beast's head, causing it to roar in pain before it hit the ground.
"NOW!"
At Apollo's command, Marcy fired a bolt at the rope holding the crane, breaking the rope and causing it to fall and the pincers jabbing into the beast's flesh, causing it to roar in pain. Pushing to finish the beast off, Apollo flew upward and raised his spear, making it glow with power, before then hurling it forward and into the beast's mouth, creating several explosions before finishing it with one big explosion, the prince setting back on the ground before raising his hand to catch his spear. Moments later, the dragon's head flew from the dust cloud and landed in front of the prince, its mouth wide open and the light gone.
Finally, the beast was dead.
Putting away his spear, Apollo turned to the group to check on them, Kaemon and Valor joining his side.
"Sweet love of the frogs," Kaemon uttered in astonishment. "We just killed a dragon…"
"Yeah, we just did that!" Valor declared with a smirk.
"We just killed…a freaking DRAGON!" Kaemon exclaimed, his astonishment turning to thrill. "HOLY FROG! Okay, kill a dragon. I can mark that off my bucket list!"
"Do we get to keep the skull?" Polly asked. "I'd like a reminder of that!"
"I'm sure we can find a way to pull this back to Wartwood." Marcy said. "Now, we gotta get moving! Anne and Shadow and the other Anne's might be in trouble!"
"I'm more concerned for my grandmother!" Clarissa snapped. "I swear, if anything happened to her because of that beast-"
"You will silence your tongue." Apollo said sternly. "The old crone wouldn't be harmed, with my brother present."
"Look, let's just get going." Polly spoke up. "We need to hurry and catch up!"
Shadow, Valeriana and the Anne variants went through several more trails and tribulations, before finally reaching their destination, that being the summit itself. Like the rest of the Citadel, the room itself was large and covered in snow and ice, reminding Shadow and Anne of the coral throne room back in the castle in Newtopia.
"I assume this is where the royalty sat." Anne remarked, before her eyes widened at what she saw. "Oh. My gosh. Look!"
Sitting upon the throne itself was what looked like a golden armor, coated in light gold with white and black clothing, complete with a helmet, a set of epaulets, robes, boots and gauntlets.
"I am so claiming this!" Anne said, immediately running up to claim the armor set, only to stop when she noticed Valerian staring at one of the stained-glass windows.
While most of the windows were shattered, one remained. It showed an image of a small, blue frog dressed in knightly armor, sitting on a throne.
Valeriana stared at the glass before Shadow and the others approached.
"That's her, isn't it?" Shadow asked.
"It was." The old salamander said sadly. "Back then, long before you were even born, she would watch over the north. Sadly, that came to an end, when the box was stolen, all those years ago."
Shadow and Anne looked at each other in confusion before looking back at the salamander.
"Val…just how old are you?" The boy asked.
Valeriana was silent for a moment before she answered, "Well over a thousand years."
The humans gasped in shock, Shadow and Anne especially. For as long as Shadow had known her, he had no idea that the old salamander could have been that old.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the phone!" Anne said, holding her hands up. "You mean to tell me that you're THAT old?!"
"It's true." Valeriana nodded, a sad look on her face. "A terrible price for my failure."
"Your failure?" Shadow inquired.
"It was a long time ago, back before Amphibia is what it is now." Valeriana said. "Back when Amphibia was composed of tribes, all fighting for control for power lust reasons. I was only a child when my people came to this land. But then there were three tribes, all wanting to unify the land in the name of peace." She then pulled out an old helmet that looked like it belonged to a shogun, black and silver. "I met three young men, all sworn to bring peace and unity to the land. The leader was none other than Shen."
"The Unifier?" Anne gasped.
"I was his court mage, aiding in magical research." Valeriana explained. "I aided the three leaders in unifying the land. I watched them grow their influence and found the land of Amphibia, and before I knew it, those twenty tribes turned into three kingdoms. It was like a dream." Her face fell, filled with regret. "But then, Shen was betrayed by his closest friend. A newt named Amenadiel, the wisest newt of all his people. The Frog Shogun was tricked by his own friend, as a result, my people were enslaved, and I was punished for my failure."
Shadow felt his heart ache for the old salamander, bringing a hand to his chest and remembering his own curse.
"Ever since then, I swore that I would never fail again." She said, her tone filled with a dark determination as she turned to the humans. "No matter the cost."
"Val?" Shadow said with concern as well as caution.
Suddenly, Anne felt something move inside her bag, the zipper pushing open to reveal Valeriana's parrot-fly, squawking as it flew out, with the Calamity Box within its talons!
"Hey, wait! No!" Anne yelled.
Just then, the box was knocked out of the birds claws by a well-placed shot of a bolt from Newt Anne, Toad Anne catching it and throwing it to Shadow, who caught it.
"I know you're haunted by the past. Trust me, so am I." Shadow said, holding the box close. "But I cannot allow you to take the only thing that can get Anne home!"
"You understand nothing, boy!" The old salamander snapped. "I have failed one too many times, and I'll be damned if I allow the box to fall into even worse hands!"
Slamming the end of her staff on the ground, Valeriana sent out a powerful shockwave that threw everyone off balance, allowing Valeriana the chance to move in for the offensive, swinging her staff, Anne ducking and rolling underneath it.
"Well, you can't just take it!" Anne retorted. "I need it to get home!"
"You know nothing child!" Valeriana argued, launching a wind spell that sent Anne skidding back. "I've spent years trying to right my wrongs, while you only think of yourself!"
"You weren't there during her growth, Val." Shadow interjected, charging in and blocking a swing from the staff with his crossed arms. "She's not the same girl that I found in the swamp."
"Yeah, he's right!" Anne said, although she couldn't help but feel unsure. "I'm not that selfish!"
"Oh no?" Valeriana challenged. "Didn't you lie to Shadow and the Plantars to get out of a day of work?"
Anne and Shadow felt their hearts stop, their eyes widening in surprise. They both remembered that rainy day, the storm hitting hard and Shadow wanted to make sure the Plantars crops were covered well, but Anne had faked being ill, forcing Shadow to go help the Plantars alone, all the while Anne lounged around at the former hut. That was when Shadow thought he came down with a sickness that could kill him, only to soon discover that he wasn't actually sick.
"How- How do you know that?" Anne asked, narrowly dodging a swing on Valeriana's staff. "Whoa!"
"Didn't you drive Shadow's snail even though you were told not to?" Valeriana pressed further.
"Wait, you did what?" Shadow said, giving Anne a disapproving look before blocking another swing of the staff.
"Okay. This is getting weird." Anne said, grunting as she dodged an incoming fireball. "What else do you know?"
"I know that you snore."
"Did you really have to mention that?" Anne said, along with the other Annes, with the exception of Anna, who simply stood off to the side and watched.
Valeriana then launched several ice spears at them, forcing them to roll out of the way before Toad Anne charged in with her sword, swinging downward, only for Valeriana to block it with her staff, then twirled said staff in between her fingers before throwing the Anne variant over her head, Toad Anne falling with a thud. Newt Anne fired her crossbow, only for the old salamander to block each bolt with her staff before getting closer, hooking her tail around her waist before sending the variant spinning to the floor.
"Didn't you steal Hopediah's wallet for a girls' day on the town?" Valeriana challenged further.
"Okay. That is definitely not how that happened." Anne retorted.
"But you did steal the music box. Did you not?"
Anne paused at this, hesitant.
"I... I... I did steal it." She admitted. "But it wasn't my idea! It was Sasha's!"
Shadow remembered, back when they first visited the lake, Anne mentioned how she was pressured into stealing the box. And if he had to guess, Sasha had to have been the one to peer pressure Anne into doing it.
The only question remained; who put the idea into Sasha's head?
"It doesn't matter who made you do it!" Valeriana snapped. "In the end, you did it of your own will, and therefor, are not worthy!"
Just as the old salamander was about to charge another spell, Newt Anne fired a bolt with a grey mushroom tied to it, the shroom exploding into smoke when it hit struck the ground at Valeriana's feet and obscuring her vision. This gave Toad Anne the perfect chance to sneak up from behind and wrap her arms around the salamander's waist before lifting her over her head and throwing her back, the salamander tumbling to the ground.
Just as Valeriana was about to get up, the four humans restrained her; Shadow stepping on her hand just as she was about to grab her staff, Anne jumping on her back, Toad Anne grabbing the tail while Newt Anne had her crossbow aimed at her, ready to fire.
There was silence, only the panted breaths of the combatants, Valeriana wracking her mind on how to fight back. But nothing came.
She had lost. Again. With this realization, she lowered her head in shame.
"Another addition to my failures."
"Val, listen to me." Shadow spoke, gaining her attention as he got down to one knee. "I understand the feeling of failure, trust me, I've been there. But you have nothing to worry about with us. We will charge the music box and we won't let it fall into the wrong hands. You have my word."
The old salamander looked up at the boy in black, looking him in the eyes and she saw the determination in them. She could see the fire in his eyes, the desire to pursue his goal and help the people around him, no matter what.
"And you were right. I did lie and steal." Anne said, standing beside the boy she loved. "If that makes me unworthy, fine. Those bad choices were mine and I'll own them." She gave a determined look. "But making them taught me that it's always better to do the right thing. So that's what I did, regardless of how much I didn't want to."
Valeriana looked at the Thai girl with surprise, before smiling.
"Shadow was right about you." She said. "In fact, we have been waiting for someone like you for such a long time."
"Um... excuse me?" Anne said in confusion, the salamander's clothing suddenly changed from black to white, much to Anne's surprise. "Whoa, mama. You clean up nice."
"Shadow was right; you have grown since the day you arrived." Valeriana explained. "I have seen it from afar; willing to sacrifice your own safety for your friends, even for a stranger in need. And even more for an enemy. But empathy alone isn't enough, for what is heart without responsibility?"
"No way." Newt Anne said in surprise.
"Are you saying…" Toad Anne said.
"In the name of the temple, I declare you worthy." Valeriana declared. "You have proven your worthy of the title Calamity Warriors. Now, to charge the stones and return you home!"
The three Anne's all smiled before handing over their respective stones, Valeriana placing them all within the hook of her staff. After placing her staff at the center of the room, the floor lit up a bright blue color, and within a second, the stones of Newt and Toad Anne have already recharged.
Anne's, on the other hand, with still charging, at a very VERY slow pace, the energy slowly filling up the stone.
"It's a lot slower than last time." Anne remarked.
"Sorry. This thing's pretty old." Valeriana said.
"Ah! No, no, no. I get it. No problem." Anne insisted.
"Do you want, uh, something to read or..." Valeriana offered.
"Seriously, it's fine." Anne assured. "In the meantime…"
She then rushed up to the frozen throne and grabbed the armor before rushing behind it, eager to try on her new gear.
Just then, two portals opened behind the counterparts, green behind the Newt Anne and red behind the Toad Anne.
"Well, I guess this is it, huh?" Toad Anne looked at her companions, she then looked at Shadow and walked up to him. "Shadow." She said, determined to tell him the truth.
"I already have a guess." He coldly answered.
She paused, then remembered how he responded and how she reacted to the other Marcy and Valeriana's words. Anne herself said she stole the box after being pushed by Sasha, but someone like her would not be able to know about the box so quickly, and the only other person who would know about it since that day would be...
"Clever boy. Glad to know you've got your priorities straight." Toad Anne said, smirking before stepping through her portal, returning to her world as the portal closed behind her.
Newt Anne was about to step through her portal, only for Shadow to stop her, much to her confusion.
"Let me give a good piece of advice."
He then whispered into her ear, something that made her eyes widen in disbelief, then they changed into more hopeful ones. He then gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder and gave a small push, bringing her into the portal that closed behind her.
Anne then emerged from behind the throne, equipped in the plate armor, the armor itself giving off a shine.
"Oh man, I'd like some Risen to try and mess with me now!" She boasted, satisfied with the armor.
"Now, with that out of the way," Valeriana said, suddenly getting serious. "I think it's time to end this farce…Savisa!"
She pointed her hand-tail at the cloaked Anna, both Shadow and Anne looking at her with fierce glares as the cloaked woman didn't move an inch.
"I had a feeling something wasn't right about you." Shadow said. "The way you moved and talked, not to mention you did nothing to aid us in fighting back against the horde. It only meant one thing…"
Anna was completely silent…before she started giggling a bit, then that giggling turned into mad laughter, the three taking stances out of caution.
Then Anna's eyes glowed a dark blue color, filled with malicious intent.
"How clever."
Suddenly, there was a drop in temperature, the room suddenly becoming overtaken by a blinding blizzard, forcing the trio to stand back to back.
"You have come far, only to find death." The dark Anne lookalike declared from within the blizzard. "Now, feel its cold embrace!"
The blizzard raged, the three not daring to move away from each other lest they get swept away by the blizzard. Just then, Shadow saw something coming towards them at high speeds before swinging his katana and knocking away an ice spear.
"All those years and nothing's changed." Savisa taunted from within the blizzard, clearing directed at Shadow. "Why bother trying to ignore the beast inside?"
"I won't let you tempt me, demon!" Shadow shouted, trying to keep his composure.
Just then, several more ice spears flew at them, Shadow swinging his katana to break the icicles, Valeriana creating an ice barrier around herself while Anne held up her shield in defense.
"How long do you plan on running?" Savisa taunted and chuckled darkly. "Soon enough, everyone will know who you are."
"Enough!" Shadow roared. "I won't let you get the better of me!"
"Such determination. If only we all had some when it mattered." Savisa said. "Ah well, that's fate I suppose. Now then... time to change ours."
Anne kept her shield up, then saw something dark coming from behind, as she saw the dark entity charge at Shadow from behind, blade poised to impale him.
"SHADOW, WATCH OUT!"
She ran in and held her shield up, hoping that it would be enough to stop the attack.
Then something unthinkable happened.
Something strong pierced metal, followed by the sound of metal piercing flesh. Then the dripping of blood.
Anne blinked several times, completely frozen, as she looked at the being standing in front of her. Savisa looked like a dark version of Anne, her skin pale and her hair a flickering dark blue flame, her dark eyes staring into Anne's brown eyes. For a moment, Anne thought she was looking at a dark reflection of herself.
Feeling a sharp pain in her abdomen, she looked down, seeing that Savisa's blade had punched right through her shield and stuck through her stomach, blood leaking from the wound and dripping onto the floor.
Back with the outside group, Marcy gasped before falling to her knees, much to the groups confusion.
"Marcy? Are you okay?" Apollo asked with concern.
Marcy shivered a bit, feeling a chill within her heart.
"Something happened to Anne." She said, fear in her voice.
Meanwhile, Sasha and her group was still on the move, getting closer to the northern toad tower, when Sasha suddenly gasped, leaning against a tree for support.
"Sasha? What's wrong?" Damien asked with worry, moving to his friend's side.
"What's wrong now?" Siwang complained, not taking kindly to the sudden stop when they were so close.
Taking in several breaths, the blonde human looked up, her eyes squinting when she saw someone watching from afar. Strangely enough, she looked almost like her, with a few splotches of blood on her face. The lookalike smirked before turning and disappearing within the forest, out of sight.
"Something happened…" Sasha, slightly unsure.
Crack!
The sound of glass cracking gained the attention of Oum Boonchuy, the older woman turning her head to see a noticeable crack on a framed picture of herself, her husband and Anne, her daughter who had gone missing several months ago.
The crack was right over Anne.
"Oh Anne…" She whispered tearfully. "Please, be okay…"
She looked back at her lookalike, the being letting out an ominous chuckle as she moved closer to her, their noses touching before she whispered darkly.
"Nothing like watching the light leave your own eyes."
With a dark cackle, Savisa vanished, leaving a heavily injured Anne to collapse to the floor, much to the shock of Shadow and Valeriana.
"ANNE!" Shadow yelled in shock before rushing to Anne's side, the girl's hands desperately pressing against the wound.
"Oh no…" Valeriana said with dread, that dread only increasing when she noticed something about the box.
The soul sapphire was blinking like a heartbeat, much to the old salamander's dread.
"Anne, move your hands." Shadow ordered as he tried to stop the bleeding, only for Anne to cry out in pain. "Listen to me, I know it hurts. You're gonna be okay, just stay with me." He then moved to pick her up. "Alright, I'm gonna pick you up." He tried to keep calm, only for Anne to gasp from the pain. "Listen to me, I know it hurts, I know, Kedan, I know, just stay with me." He tried to reassure her, but it sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself.
"Shadow, we must leave!" Valeriana urged. "With Savisa gone, who knows when the curse will lift from this region.!"
"I know, Anne just…" Shadow turned to Anne, only to see her slowly losing consciousness. "Anne? Kedan?"
She wasn't answering, her pulse slowing down.
"No…No, no, no, don't do this to me, Kedan…" He begged, tears starting to fall from his face, as he held her close. "Don't do this to me, Kedan. Come on…no…no…" He began to sob as he cradled her. "Oh no, no…no… Please… Gods, please don't do this… Please, Gods…"
Seeing how much the Thai girl meant to the boy in black, as well as how important she was, the old salamander got close.
"Let me see."
Shadow moved a bit and allowed her to see the wound, Valeriana placing her hand and tail-hand against it, pressing her forehead against Anne's.
"With this spell declared, out pain is shared."
Suddenly, the wound closed up, Valeriana cringing from the pain of the wound.
"What did you do?" Shadow asked.
"A spell that helps with physical ailments." She explained. "It heals the target while inflicting that pain on the caster. A small price to pay if it meant saving her."
Shadow watched her get up, slowing recovering from the phantom pain before picking up the now recharged gemstone.
"Our mission here is done, but we mustn't dally." She said, inserting the stone into its place on the music box. "Quickly, we must reunite with the others."
Nodding, Shadow took the girl he loved into his arms bridal style and stood up, Valeriana waving her staff around them to cast her magic, the trio vanishing from the frozen throne summit.
Meanwhile, in the abyss, another major chain snapped, this time being the blue chain that restrained his right arm, the broken chain falling to his feet.
Looking down at the broken chain, Satanael reached down and picked it up with his now free hand, a wicked grin on his face. He felt his power over the space growing stronger with each broken chain.
"I'll keep this as a memento," He said. "As would Savisa."
Hoo boy, there's a lot to unpack here! First off, I had a lot of fun with Valeriana here, as well as bringing Clarissa back into the fold. It'll take time, like, a lot of time, but Clarissa will be brought around to see that Shadow was just as much a victim. Maybe.
Now, for Valeriana, when I first saw her in the show, I thought she was a salamander, only for the wiki, and Marcy's Journal, to confirm that she was in fact a newt. So, here's my creative spin on the character, as well as having her cursed with immortality, seeking redemption, similar to Shadow.
And of course, while Anne's wound was healed, she's not out of the danger zone just yet. The Mark of the End is still worsening, and in the next chapter, Shadow will have to dig up his past and face his demons head on, as we travel to the Forbidden West. Yup, next chapter is an original, called Shadows of the Past! Hope you guys look forward to it!
Also, big props for Unity for majority of the references to World of Warcraft, as well as Anne's new armor.
And with that, I hope you guys enjoyed and stay tuned for more! Reviews are greatly appreciated!