Breakpoint

"My Lord," General Yussan spoke, bending one knee in front of Duke Pyrforian. The leader of the nobles' faction raised his eyes from the map to look at him. "As you ordered, my troops are marching towards their objectives. We haven't met any resistance worthy of mention, so far."

"Good." The Duke nodded, once again focusing his attention on the map of Newtopia laid on the table. "We must be quick, General, today's success lies on how fast your soldiers will be able to secure their objective. There is no going back now, and you know what fate awaits those judged for treason."

"We won't fail you!" The general nodded. "As we're speaking, the Third Force is taking over the port district, the Second Force is taking over the Army's bases and warehouses, forcing their garrisons to surrender, and the First's getting ready to invade the Castle and remove Andrias from his throne. Before anyone will ever notice something's wrong, the city will be under our control!"

"Remember, general: Andrias and the Royal Advisor must be captured alive, and so are the six 'humuses'. If the King dies, our efforts will be for nothing, and we may risk a civil war. And those six… their power could be a useful asset in our hands…"

(…)

"Oh, frog," Sprig exclaimed, his face full of glee as he walked out of the Aquarium, surrounded by his friends and companions, everyone showing off messy hair (expect Polly and Akitsu, of course) and bruises. "That! Was! Epic!"

"We stung those stingrays!" Polly clamored.

"Stung them? I'd say we mopped them!" Ivy joined.

"That was quite reckless, even for you!" Felicia grumbled, trying to fix her braids. "Jump into the water even knowing stingrays eat frog flesh?! It was extremely risky!"

"Hey, we did have to rescue Amelia, didn't we?" Anne chuckled, looking at the younger human, the girl blushing and looking aside with embarrassment.

"I told you; I thought the snake was dangerous!"

"Brin Brinz!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know: never judge a book by its cover!"

"Wise words, wise lessons." Hop Pop commented, while still amused by the mess "his kids" had caused. "Hey, at least we didn't have to pay for damages-"

"Lady Amelia, Lady Anne!" A new voice interrupted them, the group all turning heads to see an old newt with pale blue skin, a handlebar mustache and dressed in a bright green jacket rushing toward them, Wolternewts marching at his side, a worried expression on his face that augured ill for the group. "Stop where you are!"

"I knew it, I knew it!" Hop Pop groaned, recognizing the Aquarium's director, preparing for the huge bill they were going to be shoved with.

"We're sorry," Anne began to say. "If you're going to ask for damages-"

"I'm not." The newt exclaimed, causing surprise among humans and Amphibians alike. "While your actions during the show were dangerous, no one got hurt and our stingrays are fine. Moreover, Wolternewts testify in your favor that the whole thing was started by a misunderstanding. That, plus the protection your status as Royal Knights gives you, means we are not going to press charges. In fact, I wanted to ask you if you'd be interested into… doing that again?"

"D-doing what again?" Amelia asked. "You mean… all of that?"

"To tell the truth, it was the most exciting show we've had in weeks." Wolternewts nodded. "And the boss here thinks people would pay quite well to see it again."

"So, how about we make a deal?" The other newt asked, getting closer to Amelia, the human girl almost 'seeing' coin symbols in his eyes. "I'd give you one third of the draw, and then…"

"Huh, guys?" Ivy spoke with worry, the sound of several feet stomping at the same time becoming louder and louder as a large force of City of Newtopia Army's soldiers marched into view, surrounding the Aquarium and forcing the civilians who were waiting there to scatter.

"Hey! That's my moneybags you're sending away!" The Aquarium's curator exclaimed, marching toward one of the soldiers and shaking his fist. "Those people were waiting to enter, and now-"

"Shut up and leave, you commoner!" One of the soldiers hissed back, his cronies drawing spears and pointing them at the newt, forcing him to stop. "A curfew is now in place, all civilians must return home and stay inside!"

"Sir, look! Over there!" One of the 'soldiers' yelled, pointing at Anne and Amelia. "It's them! It's the humuses!"

"That's hu-mans!" Anne snapped back. "And what in the frog's name are you saying, a curfew? What's going on?"

Looks like my chance to show off and get those freaks out of the way has come. "By the will of the Newtopia's people, you're under arrest. Raise your hand, and perhaps we won't hurt you too much!"

"Arrest her?!" Sprig gasped, jumping to Anne's side. "No way!"

"Yeah!" Polly joined in. "You want her? You'd have to go through us?"

"This is madness!" Wolternewts exclaimed. "You're arresting her? What are the charges? You don't have the right to do this!"

"Of course we have!" Another soldier shouted. "We are the real protectors of this city! We are the ones ready to do what other can't! And who are you frogs, to dare to face us?"

"Indeed, in the old good days, frog would be executed for daring to disrespect a newt's decision!" another exclaimed. "Perhaps we should remind them that actions have consequences?"

"Take them!" Their chief commanded, pointing at the Plantar kids. "Have the young frogs and the tadpole executed, and the old one too. Not the girl, of course: we can have some fun before-"

A flash of bright blue energy blasted their vision, blinding them for a few seconds, before dissipating, revealing a very angry Anne glaring at them. Her powers began to unleash, as her eyes and hair once again turned blue, the sticks in her hair growing into branches, her fist clenching as her feet detached from the soil, the human girl levitating mid-air by the power flooding her veins. Soldiers and civilians were so much focused on her, they almost didn't see the rest of her friends and family rush to her side. Sprig holding his slingshot, Polly handling Ol' Doris with her flippers, while Hop-pop and the Sundews took on fighting stances. As for Akitsu, she was hovering over them, her fast-moving wings made her figure look larger and more intimidating than usual, as Amelia began to glow in turn, the purple energy enveloping her body and filling her vision.

"Oh, you wanted to have fun, huh?" Anne said with fury, the energy in her body altering her voice and making it sound deeper, like the voice of a demon. "Then, let's have fun!"

The soldiers, while shocked and intimidated, rushed onto attack, foolishly thinking that their numerical superiority and their beliefs that newts were naturally superior to everything and everyone, would be more than enough to vanquish their enemy. Only to realize too late that the two Calamity-imbued humans were on another level altogether. They didn't stand in the same spot for too long, instead zooming around and hitting them with their martial arts, striking at every weak spot they were offered, breaking down their armor and weapons (or even melting them, with their Calamity energy), sometimes even grabbing one or two unfortunate soldiers and throwing them at their companions.

Some newts, seeing the carnage unfolding, tried to attack the frogs, perhaps figuring out they would be an easier target, only be quickly disarmed by Felicia, the veteran adventurer blocking every assault with ease while Ivy, Sprig and Polly worked together as a team, one distracting a given enemy to give the others a chance to neutralize him. Even Hop Pop, the old farmer who had personally paid for his town's village rather than let his townspeople start a rebellion, held his ground against the newts who tried to attack him without even some perseverance of tactics.

And that's without adding the aerial support Akitsu provided, by grabbing several soldiers at once and throwing them from above into their own comrades, causing further chaos and disorganization among their ranks and breaking their initiative. Thus, the humans and their family were able to fight together and coordinate against an enemy who acted more like a disorganized horde.

The battle had barely started, and the soldiers' morale already collapsed. Those who haven't been neutralized yet realized it was hopeless to keep going and started breaking ranks. Many threw away their equipment to run faster as they rushed back in the direction they came from, a few bitter souls yelling they would be 'back with reinforcements', leaving the battleground to the Plantar-Sundew families.

"Yeah! Run away, you cowards!" Polly exclaimed, as the last newt soldiers rushed out of view.

"Even an army can't compete with us!" Sprig announced.

Felicia scoffed. "Please. To call them soldier is like take a sample of swamp water, put it into one of my cups and call it a tea!"

"Felicia's right, those guys are many but sure as frog they can't fight well!" Hop Pop nodded. "But I wonder, why they were going around saying there was a curfew?"

"I think I might have an answer for that," Wolternewts explained, while his boss and the remaining civilians hurried to move, some muttering to each other under breath. "But you might not like it."

"Those were soldiers of Duke Pyrforian, right?" Amelia gasped, she and Anne dropping back on the ground, taking deep breaths as they felt their bodies being sore due to the powers they just used. "You-you don't think they-"

"Yes. I think what we witnessed, what may be happening as for now… is a coup."

The revelation caused further shock as everyone in earsight gasped, shock coloring their faces as their brain struggled to assimilate the idea. A coup? Someone willing to try and remove King Andrias from the throne? The mere idea that someone could commit such treason was unheard of!

"Oh frog, the duke's attempting a coup?!" Anne gasped, realizing the horrid truth. "But then, we need to get back at the palace, now!"

"How?" Wolternewts asked, raising an eyebrow. "Even if you were able to defeat any other soldiers the Duke may have put between you and the castle you'd never get there in time!"

"Why would we have to run?" Amelia replied with a mischievous grin as Akitsu lowered down, the young samurai jumping on her and addressing her friends. "Everyone get onboard!"

Anne jumped behind Amelia, the Plantars and Sundew quickly joining them, Akitsu feeling the weight of each one of them on her back. Yet, they didn't feel as heavy as some other passengers she had to carry in the past.

"Alright, Akitsu, we need to get back to the castle, as fast as you can. In other words… Akitsu, we're having an issue!"

"Biz zun zoom!"

"Hey, that's Bessie's catchphrase!" Hop Pop realized. "You copied it off meeeeee!" Akitsu jumped into the sky, her wings buzzing and flapping faster and faster, gaining momentum as she set on a new trajectory, locating the castle's infrastructure with her eyes before sprinting away, her passengers holding on as best as they could.

What would we find once we returned to the castle? Anne wondered. Maybe King Andrias is still safe? Perhaps unaware of the threat looming over him? Or maybe he knew, and he is already working to organize the resistance? But what if it's too late and the castle is already under the putschist's control?

(…)

"-while our current situation within Newtopia is less than optimal," King Andrias Leviathan said, repeating the speech he had rehearsed that morning with lady Olivia, "it is far from the tragedy that Duke Pyrforian painted. Thus-"

"Your Majesty!" The throne room's door opened with a slam, the king and the civic functionaries that were listening to his speech a few moments prior turning heads at the sudden interruption, before they realized it was the Royal Advisor herself, seemingly in a frenzy, her eyes focusing on the king as she rushed towards him, the royal guards protecting the room attempting to stop her.

"I apologize, royal advisor," one of them said, "but the King's currently busy, and proper etiquette dictates that-"

"Screw etiquette, this is not the time!" She shouted back, and as she did, everyone gasped in horror. Even King Andrias, while trying to simulate his usual wise, respectful facade he had perfected in over one thousand years of kingship, couldn't help but feel taken back by the sudden outburst of his most trusted subordinate.

If the upholder of royal etiquette herself decides the situation's too wary to respect it, that could mean the situation was indeed serious.

"That's quite a rare sentence to hear, especially coming from you." The King said. "What could have possibly happened for you to rush in here in such a hurry?"

"Your highness," Lady Olivia knelt in front of him, "I've heard words that troops of the City of Newtopia Army are taking control of the city, even as we speak. Duke Pyrforian and his cabal have betrayed this city and are now attempting to subvert its order for their own gains! Already over half of the city's districts have fallen into their traitorous hands, and if we don't react soon, it is only a matter of time before the whole city is under their control. What's worse, we have confirmed that a large force of the Duke's soldiers is marching toward the castle, they're attacking us here! Never had an enemy dared to threaten to security of the Royal Castle!"

As those words escaped the Royal Advisor's lips, the King of Amphibia underwent through several moods at once. His first reaction was denial.

A coup? The duke's own troops were nothing more than a pathetic ragtag of former criminals, mercenaries and personal guards he and the other nobles of his faction had been pooled together under the command of a former Newtopia Army's officer, General Yussan, who had got dishonorably discharged after being found to be nothing more than a corrupted parasite. So, them attempting to take over Newtopia, the capital of Amphibia? His own kingdom? Marching toward his castle, who had dominated over Newtopia for millennia, expecting to conquer it just like that?

Then, came anger. How did the Duke dare to do such a thing to him? That useless excuse of a noble, that disgusting bug who had lived until now only because he allowed him to, was now trying to challenge him? To challenge the will of the Core's executor? Death would have been a mercy, for such a crime!

Then, it was bargaining's turn. Perhaps the situation was not as desperate as Lady Olivia assumed. There was no news about the Royal Army, perhaps they were still fighting. They surely were, if General Yunan was still alive and leading them. Moreover, the Night Guards were still standing, albeit reduced to a fraction of their original power, and they had lady Marcy and the newest Royal Spellcaster among them.

"Your majesty?" Lady Olivia pleaded. "What do we do?"

Shaking from his own inner turmoil, king Andrias Leviathan, Lord of Amphibia, Peacekeeper of a Thousand Years and the First of his Name, realized there was no time to lose. The situation was dramatic, true, but it wasn't the first time he found himself playing at Flipwart with the odds this bad against him. First off, he had to organize the castle's defense. The Royal guard had over five hundred soldiers available, including the ones that were currently surrounding him, and while they'd never seen true action before, they were nonetheless superbly equipped, and he could provide them with the strategic mind they didn't have. Plus, the castle's existing defense, while old, were still in good conditions: as long as his soldiers were able to lock the gates-

"Captain Chevellie!"

"I'm already here!" The Captain of the Royal Guards announced, revealing himself, fully dressed in his regalia uniform.

"Gather your men, have them lock the gates and raise the drawbridge. We must man the walls, quickly. If we can stop the enemy from storming the fortress and force them to besiege us instead, we'll have more than enough time for-"

"No."

That brief sentence, made of a single monosyllable, stopped the King's speech in its tracks, the Royal Advisor and the other functionaries turning heads. Did he just refuse a direct order from the King? And why was he all smug and confident, in contrast with how dire their situation was?

Rather, why were all the Royal Guards smiling and sharing arrogant expression?

"W-what did you say?" mumbled Andrias, clearly lost at words.

"You heard me." Captain Chevellie replied, "I have no intention of locking the gates nor raising the drawbridge, because… I'd rather take you and the Royal Advisor prisoners."

As he said that, the Royal Guards all lowered their pikes, pointing them at Andrias and Lady Olivia, the other functionaries dragged into one side of the room to be gagged and restrained.

"You- a traitor too, captain?!" The King roared in disbelief. "You all sworn an oath to protect me, does your honor value nothing?"

"Of course not, but the oath I and my men undertook never says anything about you."

"You're joking!" Lady Olivia yelled. "To protect Amphibia, the city of Newtopia and its ruling dynasty! That's what you sworn the day you all were accepted to be part of the Royal Guard!"

"And that's exactly what we are doing!" The Captain replied, his voice sounding even smugger than before. "We are protecting Newtopia and its ruling king, by its worst menace: himself! For years, everyone had known our king had gone senile, but this is too much!"

"How dare you?!" Andrias replied, yet cautiously looking around as the guard's pike stung on him. How could he free himself… without exposing himself in the process?

"No, how could YOU dare?!" Chevellie yelled in turn, losing his arrogant appearance. "To welcome those animals among us, even make them into knights, dashing the dreams of so many of us who aspired to such honors? To ignore how much axolotls, frogs and even toads had been allowed to walk among us, forgetting that Newtopia was supposed to be the city of the Newts, made by the Newts ONLY for the newts! To allow such travesty to go on for so long, without doing nothing to correct this! It's clear that you're no more worthy of leading us, and someone else should instead!"

"And you think the duke's going to be worthy?!" Lady Olivia challenged him. "Or that everyone in Newtopia will gladly follow up on you, and you'll find no resistance?"

"That's why the duke offered us a deal. When his army reaches the castle, they will find the gates open and yourselves already in our hands. Once that happens, the Army and the Night Rangers won't have any other option but to surrender, and this will cement our control over the city! Even the other noble houses will be forced to accept the new status quo, while we can work out on how to smooth the transition."

"And what about me?" The Royal advisor asked. "It's obvious you hope to keep the King alive in some pathetic play-attempt to legitimize your coup, however you try to justify it. But what are you planning for me?"

"To tell the truth, I don't know myself." The captain admitted. "Yet the Duke gave us strict orders to keep you alive as well, at least for now. If I'd have to guess, your long-standing political experience would be priceless for our future attempts to pacify the situation. And I know that as long as you live, your dearest General Yunan won't dare anything." The captain said with all the pride he could muster, before he started to cackle over his victory. "Face it, you've lost! The palace is under our control, and there isn't anyone alive ho may help you as for now!"

"You're right, no one alive can." Lady Olivia replied, her lips twitching into a smug expression in turn.

Captain Chevellie grunted, wondering why the Royal Advisor looked so sure now, trying to make sense on his words, before the sound of something heavy walking reached him, a dozen Royal Guards moving to intercept the newest threat, as they saw a large frog, made of metal walk into the throne room. The same exact metallic frog he and his companions had witnessed some time ago, when one of those 'hummuses' (the one with the tacky cone hat and the sword, riding a dragonfly) and a tadpole had introduced to the king.

"Take it down!" The Captain yelled, and immediately his soldiers rushed toward the frog-roid. Yet, Frobo's metallic body was immune to any damage their pikes and swords could cause, as the first unfortunate newts discovered. Before they could formulate a new plan, the robot counterattacked.

Chevellie looked with horror as he saw the humongous 'metal frog' turn into some kind of sphere and started striking his own men like a bowling ball among pins, taking them out three or four at the time, a few yelling in pain as they clashed against the walls while lady Olivia and the King took advantage of the situation to react. The Royal Advisor punched one of the guards securing her in the guts before kicking the other in the groin, both screaming in pain while the King, through his huge size, grabbed several guards before he threw them against the others.

"Don't you try!" Chevellie yelled as Frobo, having taken out what was left of his guards, turned onto him, the metallic frog towering over the captain yet as he tried to stand tall and proud, his sword in hand. "You have no idea who you're messing with, you useless mockery of a frog! I am Chevellie, Captain of the Royal Guards, firstborn of the House of Gaspan! I won't stand down and let you-"

But before he could finish his so-called 'epic speech', Frobo had apparently gotten bored already and used one of his extendable arms to grab him by the feet, making him lose his weapon and throwing him against the wall, his bones cracking with each slam, until he finally landed back on the room's floor, cracking it and leaving him there, an empty expression in his face, his body too damaged to move now.

Frobo looked around one last time, to assert the current external threat level, resuming it with just one word:

"Puny."

"Well, I guess I can agree with Miss Plantar on this: you are a force to be reckoned with." The Royal Advisor smiled, before turning her attention to Chevellie, the captain of the Royal Guards letting out a weak gasp. "Captain Chevellie, as Royal Advisor of His Majesty the King, I judge you guilty of high treason, and thus, remove you from your current position. The same destiny will fall on everyone of the guard who joined-

CRASH! The sound of glass breaking down, and a large figure slamming trough the stained window behind the throne, once again made Andrias and lady Olivia assume the worst, only for their fears to quell as soon as they saw the majestic figure of a pale white dragonfly, carrying two humans and several frogs on its back, landing into the throne room as her riders jumped down.

"Your majesty, you're in danger!" Anne yelled as soon as she could. "Duke Pyrforian and his cronies are attempting a coup, you must- what the frog happened here?" She stopped, seeing the still fresh traces of the previous fights, and the traitorous members of the Royal Guards lying around, the functionaries who they had tied up and restrained earlier now repaying the favor in kind.

"We already know." King Andrias replied, trying to regain his composure. "Seems like the duke enticed our own guards to detain us and leave the castle's gates open for his soldiers. Luckily for us, your friend here," he pointed at Frobo, "was here to help us."

"Frobo!" Polly jumped in the hands of her robotic friend. "You're okay! And you beat all of them up? Aww, I'm so proud of you!"

"Biz—bum!"

"Polly." Frobo replied in his electronic voice, while Hop Pop and Felicia gazed upon the defeated Royal Guards.

"Frog, they wanted to betray you?" The old farmer mumbled, before catching himself. "But then- there is no time to lose!"

"Indeed!" Amelia joined, turning toward the King. "If the gates are open, we must secure and close them again before the coup's soldiers reach the castle!"

"That, would be wise." The King explained. "The castle has one main entrance, and four secondary ones, three of which can be collapsed in case of emergency. Each one has one point of control, where the castle's guards keep garrison. Thus, is logic to assume that Chevellie left most of his soldiers to secure them, and in order to reconquer them, we'd have to fight them."

"Your majesty, if I am allowed to ask… fight them with what, exactly?!" Felicia gasped, counting the present ones. "Even adding Akitsu and Frobo's on the count, we're barely ten-"

"Hey, don't remove us from the count!" Polly exclaimed, Sprig and Ivy nodding.

"Yeah, there is no way we're going to stand aside and leave you in this moment! Plus, we are not harmless either!" Sprig showed off his slingshot. A rudimentary weapon, yet versatile and quite useful in expert's hands.

"And I can protect myself, you taught me that, mom!" Ivy joined.

"-thirteen, yet we're only a handful, and the Royal Guards had had least a few hundreds in troops."

"Five-hundred and sixty, last count." Lady Olivia corrected her. "Even taking the special skills of… some of us in account," she glanced over Amelia and Anne, "we don't have enough manpower to secure the gates and defeat the rest of them at the same time, especially if the Duke's army is coming."

"Perhaps, we can be of assistance?" A voice announced, the group setting on defensive as Sergeant Ayn walked into the room, several other Royal Guards standing with her. However, in crude comparison with Captain Chevellie and the traitor guards already defeated, their uniforms were dirty and torn up, many were missing their helmets, and a few of them had bandages covering parts of their bodies, to stop their bleeding.

"You have a lot of nerve to show up now." Anne glared at her, getting into a Muay Thai position.

"We should thank her." Amelia replied, unsheathing her katana. "Saves us the time to hunt her down."

"Please, we're not here to fight! Not you, at least." The sergeant raised her hand to show she was unarmed, looking at the King. "Your Majesty, not all the Royal Guard have betrayed you. My soldiers and I," she pointed at the guards behind her, "are part of those who refused Captain Chevellie's offer to join the coup. He tried to kill us for that, like he did with everyone else, but we managed to pull trough. We only wish to keep serving you and help you restore order within these walls."

"Oh yeah, and you expect us to believe you? After you tried to have Maddie executed?" Sprig called out. "Are you going to say you've become our friend all of a sudden?"

"You're mistaken in such assumptions; my personal views have not changed at all." The sergeant coldly replied, glaring at the frogs and their human companions. "Nor have my beliefs about magic. However, treason against my liege is a line I would never cross, no matter what. And besides, my family is not part of the duke's clique."

"She's telling the truth." Lady Olivia nodded. "And besides, the bruises and wounds they have testify they fought their way through here. Still, I must assume there is something else among your motivations."

"Well, my former boss attempted treason against the King, so I guess that, once this thing's over, you'll need a new Captain for the Royal Guards. I was hoping to candidate myself."

"If your words are true, and you don't plan to betray us like the former captain did," King Andrias said in a solemn voice, "I will allow you to assist us. Help us defend the castle and repeal the coup, and I'll have you as my next Royal Guard Captain, while similar honor and riches will be gifted for those guards who loyally stood by your side."

Anne grimaced, and so did Sprig, Ivy, Polly and Amelia. They knew that, with the situation becoming direr by the second, they were in no position to reject help, yet they couldn't help but feel irked as Sergeant Ayn and her soldiers cheered, swearing to follow the King's orders and to 'clean the castle off the traitors.'

"Alright, we have five gates to secure and lock down, so we'll need at least five assault squads to reconquer them and defeat any traitor who may still be guarding them." The King spoke once again. "Sergeant, you and your men, that is, those who are still in shape to fight, will be divided into four groups, and you'll try to recapture both the main gates and three of the secondary ones. Each group will take Miss Boonchuy or some of her friends with them, to boost your combat power or otherwise provide assistance."

"Then I'd better join the group for the main gate," Anne nodded. "I can hold my own on unarmed combat, and if Chevellie left a large garrison, my Calamity Powers may help us contrast their numbers."

"Good point. Miss Matthews," Andrias now looked at Amelia, "you and your flying companion will take care of the gate furthest from us. Not only is the one that's probably less defended, but by activating a specific mechanism, you'll be able to seal it up completely."

"We won't fail you! Banzai!"

"Briz-zim-zim-zero!"

"Miss Plantar, I do hope you and your mechanical friend will still provide help, right?"

"Just point us in the right direction," Polly shouted on top of Frobo, her eyes full of battle-eagerness, "and we'll open the way!"

"Good. As for you," Andrias now looked at lady Olivia and the few unfortunate civil functionaries that had been with him when the whole thing started. "Search the whole castle. Free any servants you find, tell them what's going on and have them on the bastions so they provide support. Take any weapons you can find. With the gates locked, and a bit of luck, we can hopefully hold off the assault long enough for General Yunan and the Army to come and relieve us of our enemies…

(…)

"They're still coming!" Bella shouted, as loud and far as her lungs allowed her to, seeing a new wave of enemy soldiers rush toward their position, swords and axes in their hands.

"Steady, soldier, steady!" Yelled Jacob, the young boy in armor standing side to side with the newts under his command, each one holding a rifle and pointing at the incoming mass of enemy fighters. "First line, ready to fire! Ready!"

The attackers kept rushing, ignoring the other soldiers closer to them, armed with pikes and swords, led by Sasha. The blonde girl now looked like a valkyrie, her long hair untied as she held both Heron Swords in her hands, her clothes and armor dirty with blood (not hers, thankfully) as she watched the new attackers rush toward the seemingly undefended troops of Jacob-

"First line, fire!" The boy shouted, lowering his hand, the newts pressing the triggers almost at the same time as a crackle of explosions escaped their rifles, the incoming enemy's formation stopping suddenly, the newts in the first row dropping onto the floor, dead or dying, while their luckier comrades wondered what happened.

"Second line, fire!" The newts shot again, and this time, their aim was better than before, hitting several more newts and wounding twice as many, causing morale to collapse among the rest, the rebels retreating in a rush and leaving the battleground to their opponents.

"Great work, soldiers!" Jacob complimented each one of them. "Recharge your weapons, this isn't over yet!"

"Jacob! Sasha!" A female voice cheered, the two humans breathing in relief as they saw Marcy and her team walk toward them, their hair and uniforms messy but unharmed. "You did it! We've won again!"

"For now, but it won't be long before they come back." Added Yunan, rejoining them with her claws still drawn. "We must keep moving, we can't afford to stay in the open for too long!"

"I feel like everything's gone mad!" Javi gasped as he looked around, the bodies of newts dressed in the uniform of the Duke's troops lying together with those of the civilians they had massacred earlier. "We discover that our former captain had become a traitor and he's the same newt who orchestrated all this damage upon our city, we leave the sewers and we find that apparently there is a civil war going on, and we've been caught just in the middle?"

"Believe me, I know how you feel," Yunan replied, still shocked on the inside. While she had never met Ernst before his 'disappearance' (barring official state events where she was forced to 'socialize' with nobles), she knew enough about him to repute a kindred soul. Someone who, like her, had decided to use their life to fulfill a mission to serve and protect Amphibia, Newtopia and King Andrias, no matter what threat might surge or which enemies they'd have to face.

When Marcy had told them that Ernst was the real identity of Goldmask, and he had confessed that he had willingly caused so much pain and destruction for greed, every single drop of respect Yunan ever felt for the former Night Guard Captain turned into loathing, as she promised himself that if she ever got her hands on him… he wouldn't survive until due process for high treason.

I wonder how Headmaster Albert will take the news, once we report him, the general thought for a moment. Would he feel disgusted and angry like she was? Or perhaps, his reaction would be sadder, to find out the one newt he trusted enough to be his future successor turned out to be a traitor?

"Ma'am!" Another Night Guard ranger, not one of Marcy's companions, saluted as he approached them, Marcy and her friend returning the salute. "My squad and I have returned from our recon mission. We brought news, some good, but mostly bad."

"Let's hear the bad news first then." Jacob nodded. "At least so the good news can cheer us up after it."

"The bad news is, the whole area is under control of the army of the duke and his cabal of traitors. Every warehouse we found was destroyed and ransacked, every public building razed, and we found several lost squads from the Army that, unfortunately, were found by them first." He looked down with a sad expression.

"All of them?" Sasha gasped, clearly understanding the hidden meaning behind the ranger's words.

"Every single one of them, lady Sasha!" The Night Guard newt replied. "What's worse, it seems like the treachery didn't spare the civilians: it was a massacre! They were put to death just because they refused to betray the king, or in some cases, just because they weren't newts in the first place!"

Those words, and the shock it caused, were a clear sign, to Marcy, Jacob and Sasha, of how many things had changed since their arrival. From where she was sitting, checking how many spell bags and ingredients she still had available, Maddie suddenly raised her head, surprised, yet at the same time, elated by those words. It seemed not too long ago, when the Night Guard's oath said that all rangers had to protect newts above everyone else.

"I know how you're feeling," Sasha put a hand over the newts' shoulder, to empathize with him. "You're angry and scared at the same time, you saw tragedies you wish you could've stopped, and you're feeling useless because you can't stop these horrors from happening. You're angry, because you have no control over the situation. But you can't let this anger to control you." She added. "It wasn't you who choose to commit these heinous acts, it was the Duke and his goons. Hoping to instill fear among the population so no one will dare to contest their rule. And to put an end on this, the best we can do is to suppress their revolt, as soon as we can, before they have a chance to cause further bloodshed."

Wow, Sasha surely works on her psychological skills, mused Jacob before joining in turn. "That's right! The main barracks, those can't have fallen as easily as everyplace else! We just need to reach them and rejoin with our comrades, and then we can start our counteroffensive!"

"But then, what should we do for the others who are still fighting?"

"Others?!" Yunan gasped, and her outburst was so sudden, everyone turned head to hear. "What others?"

"Well, while we were scouring, we've managed to locate several areas where civilians and other people gathered together and were able to resist the coup's troops. Some still have fighting going on…"

(…)

"-in the name of General Yussan, you- EEEEAGH!" The unfortunate officer screamed as Thong grabbed him by the arm and threw him against his troops, the newts dropping into a pile for the bulky gladiator to jump on.

All over the coliseum, the battle raged on, with Priscilla and the rest of the gladiators leading the fight against the rebel troops, assisted by the place's workers and a few civilians. They were outnumbered, yet the gladiators with their combat experience and their bulky, scary appearances were able to fight off each assault. The troops' commander, meanwhile, kept screaming like a whining child as he saw his own soldier forced to retreat for the -nth time.

"What you idiots are doing?! I promised the duke the coliseum area would be under control in no time! Are you trying to make me look bad?! How do you expect the duke to make me a viscount if you keep screwing up?!"

(…)

"Take this, you ethnocentric bastards!" Gertie yelled, passing more of her gnatchos (super-spicy ones, the ones made with a sauce so hot it caused unprepared eyes and lips to swell and feel pain upon contact) to her companions. Axolotls, frogs and newts were fighting together side by side within the protections of the barricades they had built, the troops of the Duke surrounding them trying to break through only to end up under a barrage of assorted ammunition every time they got too close. "You can't take the heat? Then don't bother!"

"Perhaps I can be of assistance?" Sal jumped in, throwing more of his secret sauce into the eyes of the attacking newts, blinding them and allowing his allies to push them back, just before his own bodyguard pulled him back to safety. "Now you see what my sauce can do! Now you see!"

"Here, guys!" Donato and Irpina arrived on that moment pulling their own handcart, taking out weapons and launching them onto the crowd. "Use these to protect themselves!"

"Goblin!" Efty yelled as her kill-a-pillar once again ran wild, moving toward the enemy newts and meowing aloud, biting their arms and tails whenever it had an opportunity to do so unpunished. "Get back here, girl!"

(…)

"Ok, now everyone, I hope you do remind what you've learned through this time here at Newtopia University." Professor Herringbone spoke, as he and a small group of University's students hid behind the University walls, a detachment of coup's troops on the other side, apparently trying to conquer the University. "In order to open fire, the enemy archers must leave their cover and form filing lines. Thus, before using your crossbow, you must wait just before the line's ready. Too soon, and you'll miss your targets. Too late, and the enemy will open fire first."

"Will there be a test on this later on, professor?"

"This is the test!" The old professor smirked, seeing the enemy was now reforming its rank and get ready for a new offense. "I promise an A plus in your permanent registry for any enemy you manage to neutralize!"

The class cheered.

(…)

"…but they won't last for long, if they've left alone. I was hoping that, perhaps, we could make some… deviation…?"

"We can't afford that." Yunan shook her head. "Don't misunderstand me, there's nothing that I would like more than to go to their rescue, but we can't afford to lose the war for the sake of a single battle. In the open we're vulnerable: so far, we've managed to resist, but we must reach our companions at the barracks before the enemy's main force realizes we're here, or we will be pinned down and unable to move, let alone help anyone else."

"As much as it bothers me, Yunan's right."

"Sasha?!"

"I'm not saying we should abandon them, Mars." The blond quickly added. "But we don't have the mobility to come to their help, our Calamity Powers will draw too much attention if we keep using them, and Jacob's rifles don't work too well in closed spaces."

"Sad, but true." The boy nodded, before turning to the dark-haired girl. "There isn't much we can do… unless you can come up with another genius idea of yours."

"Perhaps, I do have one." The ranger girl replied, holding her chin with her hand, a map of the city appearing on. "General Yunan, you and your forces can proceed with your current mission. We'll proceed on our own."

"What?"

"Mar-Mar, have you gone nuts?!"

"A single squad, against so many enemy soldiers? You'll never make it!"

"Who said only my squad will go?" Marcy said, her lips twitching into the smile of someone knowing something everyone else didn't. "When I said 'we', I was referring to all available Night Guard rangers with us."

"Hey!" Another captain, who had been part of the operation, stopped trying to fix his crossbow and protested. "Who the frog gave you the authority to give such an order? Every captain's responsible for their own squad, decisions regarding more squads can only be made by the Headmaster, or by someone acting under his authority. And since the headmaster's currently still missing-"

"Oh, I have plenty of authority to give such an order!" Marcy yelled in turn, jumping on her feet and starting an impromptu speech, rangers and soldiers listening to her. "My name is Marcy Regina Wu, Knight of Newtopia under the authority of King Andrias himself! The King gave me and my friends such titles, so we could use them to do good, and act as instruments of his will! And as Knight and protégé of the King, I have all the authority I need to take charge of the operations, in the event the chain of command is destroyed or interrupted! We have lives at stakes, people are dying, even as we speak! The Army won't be able to save them, but… we aren't the Army, are we?"

"Hey!" Jacob felt the need of protest, only for Sasha to grab him by the shoulder.

"We are the Night Guard, the Watchful Eyes of the King! When Newtopia's security is threatened, we are called to protect the lives of its inhabitants! And now that the ugly head of treason has dared to show itself, will we run like cowards from its sight? No, we will corner, trap and cut it, so it won't ever raise again!"

"It is me, or Marcy's speech reminds me of the one we saw in that movie she showed us a few nights ago?" Bella asked to Maddie, the small spellcaster looking at her apprentice and squad commander with a face full of pride.

"That's my disciple."

"For the Guard!" Marcy yelled, and all the rangers cheered at the same time.

"FOR THE GUARD!"

"Enemies incoming!" Kettle yelled, pointing in the direction of another group of enemy soldiers, who had been attracted by the sound, and were now trying to rush them, soldiers and rangers once again focused on fighting off the new menace.

"I think we were perhaps a little too loud, ma'am." Sasha murmured, checking her swords while Yunan did the same with her claws.

"Oh, you think?"

As the new group of enemy soldiers came toward them yelling, the duo was forced to fight side by side as they had done since they'd left the sewage.

(…)

"What the frog are you saying? The operation isn't going as well as you expected?!" General Yussan yelled, looking at his so-called 'subordinates' each one of them with wary looks and faces that clearly foretold what they wanted to tell him.

"It seems like our forces met… considerable resistance, on a wider scale than we assumed at first." The first of them spoke. "However, the situation's not lost yet!"

'Not lost yet' was another way to say that a disaster had happened, Yussan realized. As in all societies, if you knew the aphorisms, you could break the code. Success here was always heralded in the most positive terms. Obstacles were set aside without any admission as if they were stunning successes.

"It seems like the civilian population so far had showed… little support for our 'power transition'," the newt from before continued. "We had to use force to crack down unrest, and in some areas, we've failed to properly secure our target objectives. However, if we provide them with reinforcements-"

"We don't have any reinforcements!" Yussan yelled, the subordinate shutting up immediately. "We were supposed to be in control of the city by now! Every delay we face is more time the Army and the King can use to reorganize and prepare to strike back! And you!" He pointed at the second subordinate, "you promised me that the Army's barracks would be in hours hands by now! How do you expect me to explain this failure to the Duke?!"

"Sir, it's not my fault!" The other newt countered. "The Army's not fighting as they were supposed to. They're playing dirty, using some kind of unknown weapon against us! Every time we try another attack, they hit us from above, harassing our soldiers and breaking their morale!"

"Wonderful, really!" Yussan jerked with a tone full of sarcasm, turning their attention to the latest officer of the bunch. "And what is your excuse? I specifically gave you orders to bring me the head of General Yunan! I've been waiting for years to see my reflection in her dead eyes!"

"I don't know what went wrong sir, really! The plan to ambush them was perfect, perfect I tell you! How could we know the enemy general was such a daredevil?"

"It's general Yunan, you nincompoop!" Yussan yelled, even louder than before. "The one who has killed Ragnar the Wrecker barehanded! A literal one-newt army! You seriously thought she would drop your weapons and surrender without a fight!?"

"I didn't, but… I thought the rumors about her were exaggerated!"

"General Yussan," another soldier popped in, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but… we received bad news, from the castle. Seems like Captain Chevellie's gambit to open the gates had failed, and now our troops are stuck around the castle. We tried to force our way in, but we are facing heavy resistance."

Chevellie, you inbred idiot! Yussan yelled in his head, feeling another headache coming up. Capturing the castle was the key in today's operation: Andrias had to be secured, to convince the Army that further resistance was futile and smoothen the transition. If that had failed as well, then any hope to end the coup fast and successfully would be over, and the attempted coup would quickly turn into a civil war that could threaten to rip Amphibia apart.

A civil war, they had no hope to win whatsoever.

"What the frog is your leading officer doing?!" Yussan yelled. "Do they know how critical this move was for our victory? How did they let this happen?"

"Huh, we didn't have any commanding officer, sir." The soldier spoke back. "Chevellie was supposed to be, remember? Once the Royal Guards allowed us inside, he would have taken command. But…"

So that means the troops I've personally assembled to took over the Castle in one swift assault are currently let without guidance, trapped outside the castle's gates and without any idea how to overcome their defenses, Yussan realized with chagrin. The situation was dramatic: if they couldn't secure the castle, the day may as well be lost.

"Redeploy all available forces we can spare," the general ordered to his three subordinates, "and have them reach the castle, as fast as they can! I'll be personally taking charge of the assault!"

"But sir, the Royal Army, and the Night Guard-"

"FORGET ABOUT THEM!" Yussan yelled, even louder than before. "If we fail to crush them today, we will surely face further resistance in the future, but if we fail to capture the King, our defeat is already decided! Have your troops already there continue with their current goals if you want but inform them that their objectives have changed: now they must keep the army occupied while we take care of the situation at the castle!"

"But… that's absurd, sir! Without reinforcements, how are we expected to do?"

"Didn't you boast about your commandeering skills? Use them!"

"So, it seems like those fishers were right," Admiral Blueocean murmured, looking at the city with his telescope, from the bridge his ship. "The Duke and his little cabal did start a coup!"

"I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing this with my own eyes, sir!" The officer to his left murmured. "I knew those nobles didn't like the king much, but to attempt such blatant act of treason?"

As other officers voiced their opinion, James, still dressed in the sharp Navy uniform once belonging to Perengev the Tailless, stood in silence as countless thoughts gathered inside his mind. Were his friends okay? Where were they? Did someone got hurt, perhaps? Or maybe-

No, I refuse to accept such a thing, the boy dressed as Hornblower shook his head, trying to purge dread from his brain by sheer willpower, there is no way my friend could be in trouble. I know them, they're though, just like me! I bet they're fine, and kicking butts!

"Looks like the Duke start his power grab while we were away." The Admiral lowered his telescope. "I'm sure he even forgot that we exist, too. Well, it looks like it's time to remind everyone of the true power of Newtopia's Navy. Mr. Shattow?"

"Admiral?" The ship's third mate gasped, standing in attention.

"It seems like the enemy's deployed quite a large garrison into the harbor area. Set a new maneuver, have the ship moved into firing position and the ballista loaded with boomshroom rounds. I want a 15-minute bombardment to soften them up."

"Aye, aye, sir!"

"Mr. Globus," the Admiral now turned to his second mate, "transmit my orders to all the other ships: we will bombard the harbor area to drive the enemy out of our home, before send a landing crew on shore. It's time we remind to Newtopia that the Navy still exist!"

"For the King!"

"And, James?" The admiral now turned to the lone human, the boy stuttering for a second before regaining his composure.

"Admiral?"

"From what I've seen during our battle with Greenbeard and his 'crew', you seem quite skilled with leading boarding parties."

"Well, I mostly went with my guts, sir. Plus, they weren't real pirates, so-"

"And yet, you didn't hesitate." Blueocean stopped for a few second, looking at the lad with prideful eyes before continuing. "Now, if you're feeling up to it, I want you to lead the assault on the shore."

"Me?!" James gasped. "Well, I… aye, aye, sir! I won't fail you!"

"I know you won't. Select the sailors for your mission among the ship's crew, I'll instruct the other ships commanders to do the same. Once you land, your objectives are to secure the docks and reestablish Navy control over the district. Don't push your luck, however: if the enemy's more numerous, or is better equipped, don't be afraid of signaling us for support. It's been years since our ballistae saw some real action, I've been looking forward for an occasion like this!"

"Years, sir?" James questioned. "But then… Greenbeard and his crew-"

"As you've already said, lad, it doesn't count if they aren't the real deal, right?" The Admiral replied, taking a deep breath as he gazed upon the horizon, Newtopia standing in front of them, the ships setting themselves into firing position while James, after saluting him for one last time, quickly disappeared, going to assemble his assault force.

It was time like this, that made him feel proud for joining the Newtopia Navy.

"The Axolotl have signaled they're in position and ready to fire, sir!" A sailor shouted, pointing at the ship.

"The Insurgent and the Green Lady are ready to start the bombardment as well!" Another one added.

The Admiral said nothing, savoring the moment, raising his hand as he was once taught to, the order resting on his lips as the words echoed in his minds, again and again, rehearsing them.

And then-

"Open fire!" Blueocean shouted, the order quickly repeated by the ship's officers, up to the crew manning the ballistae.

A cacophony of different sounds played, as the Pride of Leviathan, flagship of the Newtopia Navy, began its shore bombardment the city's harbor, quickly imitated by the other ships of the fleet, the darts hissing through the air before impacting on target, the coup's military forces occupying the district defenseless and unable to return fire against the overwhelming assault.

Some, unable to keep their nerves steady under enemy fire, panicked and attempted to flee, resulting only in abandoning what little cover they had, while others sought refuge inside empty buildings, perhaps hoping to be better protected. In vain. Observers with binoculars aboard the ships were able to observe their actions, and passed word to the gunners, new shells bearing down on the structures where the insurgent troops had sought refuge.

"Error is within ten. Correcting."

"Strike confirmed. Fire for effect."

The Admiral said nothing, simply listening to his crew directing fire onto their targets, his eyes gazing upon the bombardment the Navy was inflicting upon their enemy, the duke's soldiers utterly helpless and trapped as destruction fell upon them, unable to do anything but stand down and wait, hope for the bombardment to finish.

For years, the Navy had been considered a joke, the newts under its uniform forced to endure countless humiliations and abuses by people seeing them as nothing more than a dumping ground for problematic individuals, at best. But today, for the first time in generations, the Navy was going to remind them of the harsh truth they'd always known, yet they had never been able to remind anyone, until this day.

They had the biggest guns.

(…)

"Keep your heads down!" Sergeant Ayn shouted, as she and her men were taking cover behind the wall's terraces as the insurgents' troops, gathered in front of the castle's main gates, once again tried to hit them with their ballista. "Frog, those weapons are making this even harder! Dame Boonchuy, can you take care of them?"

"I can try, I guess." Anne deep breathed, repeating the mantra her friends had taught her, trying to forget her fatigue and her muscles aching, trying to regain her focus. Slowly, as she kept repeating the words over and over, she could feel her own power surge once again, her eyes itching. She didn't know how much time she had left now, but if she used it good, it would be worth it.

With a yell, the human girl jumped out of the wall, Ayn and her troops trying to provide cover as Anne zoomed downward, flying over the crowd of soldiers attempting to storm the castle, a few among them trying to hit her as she pushed forward, toward the ballistae the rebels were trying to use to breach the castle defenses. Her fist slammed into the first, reducing the wood into splinters by the blast, as she was already focused on the second, a zap of blue hue energy departing from her hands and striking at it, breaking it beyond any hope of repair, as she continued, a third, a fourth-

A sudden pain in her chest and her power flickering for one second clearly told Anne that her powers wouldn't last long, and she had to get back to safety once again. The girl gritted her teeth, stopping her assault as she launched herself back toward the walls, the soldiers noticing this and trying to hit her once again with everything they had available. Most of them missed, but an arrow hissed dangerously close to her ear as she felt several darts impact on her, her power's energy slowing them and softening their blows enough so nothing could even scratch her skin. Yet, she could feel them hitting them, yelping in pain as she realized they would probably generate bruises, as she once again returned to the safety behind the castle's battlements, her powers shutting off as soon as she was safe.

"I-I couldn't do it. Too many, too little time."

"Four ballistae destroyed, three remaining." The Sergeant summarized. "Not a full success, but good nevertheless. At least, for a while."

"Anne!" A voice yelled in fear, Anne's eyes opening slightly to see the familiar shape of Sprig rush towards her, his embrace feeling warm and comfy on contact. "Are you-"

"I'm fine, Spriggy." The human girl replied with a soft voice. "But I can't keep doing this. Not now, at least. I'm all worn up now, I think I need to rest for a bit before-

"Incoming!" Another voice announced, Sprig, the sergeant and her guards seeing Hop Pop rush toward them, a worried expression on his face. "The enemy's attempting another assault on the southern gate, and this time not even Polly and Frobo can stop it alone!

"Frogs! Just at the wrong moment too!" Ayn hissed, turning to one of her guards. "Where are the others?!"

"Miss Sundew is leading the defense on the northern gate, as you requested sir!" The soldier replied. "They're too far to provide support. And… lady Amelia…"

"She too?!" Sprig gasped with fear.

"Flying from one gate to another and continuously using her powers, of course she had to drain herself faster than lady Boonchuy." Ayn moved her hand on her forehead. "Very well. Mr. Plantar, you and your grandson assist Miss Boonchuy and help her regain her forces. As for you," she turned toward the remaining soldiers, "assist Mr. Plantar as best as you can and keep defend the gate, or at least, try to hold them off until I'm back."

"Where are you going, ma'am?"

"To help our ally at the southern gate, of course!" The newt in sergeant's uniform replied. "Keep your heads down and focus on stopping them from reaching the terraces. I'll be back, I promise."

(…)

"For King Andrias!"

"For Newtopia! For freedom! Forward!"

While the coup's troops were gathering around the castle, trying to storm it by overwhelming its defenders, an equally brutal battle was going on around the Newtopia Army's main base and barrack. The Army forces left to garrison it, mostly old veterans and young cadets, fought desperately against the overwhelming forces of the enemy, eager to vanquish their resistance and take control of the precious landmark and the military equipment stocked inside.

Yet, while surpassing their adversaries in numbers. the forces of the duke and his allies greatly lacked discipline and competence, allowing old and young soldiers trapped inside to coordinate their defense. The presence of several 'prototypes' of Jacob's rifles, with enough ammunition and gunpowder to supply them had further favored the defenders, allowing them to target their enemy from afar and vanquishing the hope of their commander to quickly take over the base.

"What are you idiots doing?!" The noble in charge, a brat with a whiny voice and dressed in a flaunty uniform completely devoid of practical sense, lamented while grabbing one of his soldiers like he 'expected' him to explain what was happening. "I told you, no more retreats! Go back in there and take them out!"

"Commander, the enemy's hitting us with some kind of unknown weapon, we can't even get a foothold inside without being targeted!" The soldier replied, "we can't break through! I suggest we simply surround them and wait for them to starve: they can't have much food stockpile in there and-"

"You useless idiot!" The 'commander' slapped him. "Do you have any idea who I am? I am Cyril Letodìe, son of Auguste Letodìe, descendant of Pietré Letodìe, winner of the battle of Sargamanca! My ancestor was a great military leader, so by my blood right I am too! I can't win by siege, I must win by force! Now stop sabotaging me and get back inside, or I'll-

A loud explosion, coming from their rear, shocked the noble and his whole forces, before loud cracking noises filled the air, some soldiers falling onto the ground with yelp of pains and shadowy figures of newts in armor appeared, Cyril and his underlings realizing with horror that an enemy force had come to bring relief to the members of the Army trapped inside and now they were caught among the defenders, still holding inside and with an optimal defensive position, and the reinforcements that were coming from the outside, they too armed with those same strange new weapons.

A great military leader would have probably focused on the unexpected new enemies, to try and stop them from bringing relief to their trapped comrades; a decent but still competent one, realizing they had no more chance to win, would have probably ordered the retreat, perhaps leaving behind some of their forces to act as buffers while the rest of them disengaged and redeployed; a bad leader, one more concerned to save his own skin than the lives of his soldiers would have simply run away, leaving the soldiers to retreat by themselves without leadership to coordinate them.

Cyril was none of those, his mind freezing, as small explosions filling the air as he kept seeing his underling drops onto the ground, wounded or already dead, while new figures appeared, attacking his troops, one of them being a newt with long claws connected to her armor, flanked by two strange creatures (the 'hummus' of King Andrias, his mind reminded him). One armed with two long swords while the other wielded a large hammer, cutting through his own soldiers like a blade in frog's flesh, trying to reach the barracks. So, as he heard the soldiers trapped inside start a sortie to free themselves, and the unexpected enemy forces breaking through his own underlings without even signs of being slowed down, he did the only thing he could think of.

"I surrender!" The newt dropped on his knees, his hands together as the clawed newt marched toward him, a hateful glare in her eyes. "It's not me, I was forced to do this! I've always been a faithful follower of King Andrias, it was the duke that forced me to do this! My father's rich, you can ask him for a ransom, he'll gladly pay to keep me safe: he did this before! It's not my fault, I didn't knew-"

"SHUT. UP." General Yunan hissed, before her fist collided with the youngster's jaw, knocking him out cold and freeing his mouth of several teeth, the noble scion falling on the ground fully unconscious while, all around him, what was left of his 'troops' realized it was over and, with no more chance to run away, dropped their weapons and raised their hands in defeat, allowing the experienced Newtopia Army soldiers to capture them all, while the formerly trapped defenders rushed outside to greet their timely saviors.

"General!" A young cadet called, saluting her. "Oh, you have no idea how happy we are to see you again! We had no information, no update on the situation, some of us even assumed that-"

"I know, soldier, I know." Yunan replied, looking as Sasha and Jacob went on and checked the situation. The girl talking with some of the defenders while the boy rushed inside, a look of urgency in his eyes. "How many losses?"

"Thirty-two wounded, sir, seven of which are in bad conditions. We've moved them inside, to keep them safe, but they require true medical help, as fast as possible. And…" he looked aside with a sad look, "fifteen of us didn't make it."

"I'm sorry you had to experience it like this, kid, but this is war." Yunan replied. "And in war, someone always ends up dying."

"General," Sasha joined in, "there's more bad news. According to what info we've available, none of the other generals are present, they weren't here when the coup happened. So, either they are trapped or detained by the rebels-"

"-or they're already dead or perhaps sided with the duke by their own volition." The newt summarized with a snort. "It's not an issue. Let's leave those who are no longer in condition to fight here, select a few soldiers to keep garrison to watch over them and have the rest patched up. Once we're ready, we'll march toward the castle."

"The castle, general?" Another soldier of the defenders, an old veteran with a light wound over his shoulder, asked. "We haven't heard anything from the castle yet, neither from the King nor from anyone else. Don't you think that, perhaps-"

"No, the castle hasn't fallen yet." Yunan scoffed, like she refused to consider such an idea. "Even discounting the Royal Guards, Lady Olivia would never allow for the King to fall in enemy's hands under her watch. I bet they're still there, holding up the best they can. This is why it's imperative that we bring them relief, as soon as possible."

"There are some good news, general!" Jacob returned. "Seems like the boxes of ammunition and gunpowder we'd stocked before the operation had barely been touched, and there are still a few rifles ready to use. We easily can refill our magazines and replace the guns we lost on the path to here."

"Good, then make sure that is done too!" Yunan replied, Bella rushing to assist her 'boss' as soon as she heard that. "Those rifles of yours surely helped us pull through, as long as we can use them, we're advantaged."

"Duke, we received confirmation that the Navy had been targeting our forces deployed into the harbor district." A minor noble said, approaching Duke Pyrforian, the few other high-ranking nobles left of the group looking at him with disdain for 'daring' to ruin their mood with more sad news.

"Our soldiers tried to resist, but the Navy's bombardment proved to be impossible to withstand, so they were forced to retreat and let the Navy's marines to recapture the area. What is worse, it seems like part of the 'marines' have left the district and are currently marching against us!"

"Those seaweed lovers think they can face us?!" Marquess Lepiasse laughed, clearly amused by the revelation. "Let them come if they think they have a chance! Our valorous troops could need some laugh after all!"

The duke didn't say anything, simply staring in silence as the army kept throwing wave after wave of fresh soldiers against the Castle's defenses, climbing thought tall wooden ladders to reach the wall's battlements. So far, the defenders had used well what little resources they had to restrain options to the attackers, sabotaging the secondary gates so they could gather all available manpower on the main entrance, and using the humans' glowing powers to destroy many of the siege engines the troops had gathered. But now, their resistance was reaching a critical stage. The humans were nowhere to be seen, the large metallic frog couldn't be everywhere at once and their defenders were tired without hope for relief, while the attackers, even after they've suffered damaging blows, now kept pouring troops into the breaches opened before, their pressure kept on increasing.

Even the news that the Navy was trying to outflank them was not enough to wipe out the grin of Yussan's face, the formerly disgraced general having already made a note of dealing with them as soon as the castle's gates fell into their hands. Sure, nothing had gone according to the plan, they had wasted too much precious time while victory should have already been achieved by now, yet now it was once again within reach. Soon, the castle's defenses would be breached, King Andrias would be in their hands and victory would be theirs.

Perhaps I should ask the Duke to give me the former Royal Advisor as my next lady-in-waiting servant, Yussan mused for a second, not that I need one, but surely it would be a good way to get payback on that jerk Yunan for-

"General, General!" Yussan's musing was interrupted once again as he, the duke, and the other nobles once again turned heads collectively, as they saw a newt mounting a snail rush toward them. "We are under attack!"

"Yeah, yeah, we know that already, you fool!" The general replied with a scoff. "Tell Count Deiter the Duke fully expect for him to keep them at bay while we deal with the last of the defenders. They're the Navy, I'm sure even he can keep those clowns away!"

"It's not the Navy, sir, it's the Newtopia Army!" The soldier replied, Yussan and the other nobles gasping, their eyes widening as suddenly the message took an unexpected turn. "General Yunan himself is leading an offensive toward us, coming from the East!"

East?! Yussan thought. But that's from… no way, no frogging way! They haven't managed even to stop him from rejoining his allies at the barracks, those idiots?!

"Kill them all!"

"We tried, sir!" The soldier continued, Yussan noticing then a large wound on his flask, like something had pierced him from side to side at high speed. "But they have strange weapons… that make sounds like thunder and can kill you without letting you see the blow. And they're not alone, they have two of those creatures, the humans! One can shoot lighting, and the other's a battle beast!"

"And now what do we do, general?" The Marquess asked him, like he was expecting to just come up with another solution to 'solve' the situation, no matter how desperate it was. "You heard the commoner: the enemy's attacking us on the other side as well. Deal with them, and do it quickly! We're already late for our victory feast schedule!"

Is that your concern now? Yussan felt tempted to yell, as his brain caught onto the reality of the situation. If the Army was going to attack them from the east, the best (actually, only) strategy advisable was to interrupt the assault on the castle and reorganize his forces to hopefully withstand and repel the enemy's offensive. Yet even that might not be enough to hold off General Yunan herself, especially with everything else his soldier had reported him. And nonetheless, interrupting the attack would surely give the defenders a chance to catch their breath and reorganize, wasting everything his troops had done until now to soften them up.

"S-Second Group, cover the flank!" Yussan began to yell even more orders, perhaps trying to make the best of the situation. "Redeploy our siege engines so we can use them against the Army, put the pike in the frontline. Archers-"

A loud crackle of thunder and the sound of hundreds of newts running at the same time informed him they had no more time available, as the Newtopia Army appeared on their flank, general Yunan on the frontline, two figures (the humans, probably) flanking her as they rushed forward. A formation of newt soldiers with heavy armor and long pikes marched on the blond creature's sides, while the rest of the soldiers followed the blue armored one. They were gathered into two lines, one moving while the other stood still, new thunderous crackling noises filling the air every time one line stopped. And every time one line stopped, more noises could be heard, and Yussan saw more and more of his own men drop onto the ground, some already dead, the other screaming and causing further horror among their comrades.

And that was when he heard the battle cry.

"FOR KING ANDRIAS! FOR AMPHIBIA!" Another voice yelled, this time a female one. It was coming not from the walls or the Army formation that was assaulting his flank, nor from the other flank where the Navy's marines were supposed to appear. No, it came from their rear, the way his troops had come and where, if everything fell apart, they could retreat.

"FOR THE KING!" Countless voices shouted at the same time, so many that even he couldn't try to discern how many they were. He barely heard the Marquess yell at him, the sound of cheers coming from the walls nor the scream from the ranks as some of his soldiers lost whatever discipline they had and tried to make a run for it, even if they were trapped among their companions. Because for General Yussan, the worst possible truth became a reality in front of his eyes.

From behind his own army, a new force, one much larger and varied than his own, rushed into attack.

(…)

"What in Frog's name?" Sergeant Ayn gasped, seeing another relief force appear suddenly as countless individuals poured from the empty houses and buildings, cutting off the rebel army's retreat and forcing them to divide their attention further. "Where did they come from?"

"Are they on our side?" Hop Pop asked, his family and companions gasping alongside him. Anne and Amelia felt their own stamina replenish as they were looking at the unexpected arrival with eyes filled with hope. Sprig and Ivy pointed with excitement.

"Look, that one is Maddie!" The small yellow frog said, "I could recognize that hairdo everywhere! And those ones are… Javi… and Kettle!"

"And then there's Femur!" Sprig replied, as he saw the large silent newt swipe off enemies with his ax, several individuals following him closely as he opened the path for them.

"And the one leading them…" Anne gasped, a tear of heartwarming realization running down her cheek as she recognized Marcy, her friend apparently alive and healthy, leading the mob and directing their assault. "Mar-Mar! Those are the Night Guards!"

"Yeah, at least some of them are," the sergeant gasped, grabbing a spare binocular to try and get a better view on them. Sure, she could easily recognize the dark-haired human girl in the Night Guard uniform, as well as her friends (the spellcaster, especially), yet only a small part of them was rangers. Many weren't even newts, as she could see axolotls, frogs and toads fight side by side, armed with different weapons and dressed in different clothes, devoid of any tactic yet pushing forward with fervor and determination burning in their eyes.

Those are not soldiers, those are civilians! The Sergeant realized, as she saw gladiator Priscilla the Killa grab one of the Duke's soldiers and throw him against a wall, knocking him out cold instantly. But how is that-

"By the Olms," the sergeant said, without realizing she was thinking out loud, "that human...is leading them. She gathered them, inspired her with her words, turned them into a mob… and unleashed them onto the enemies of our king."

"That's our Marcy," Hop Pop smiled.

"I bet that Farine would be proud of her too, if he could see this." Felicia nodded, before turning her attention toward the Newtopia Army. "Just like I feel towards Sasha."

"And look!" Amelia pointed on the opposite direction, those that followed her hand noticing the sound of a military band playing aloud, and the rebel troop on the other flank began to rout as a force of newts in sailor outfits, led by a tailless figure in a Navy Officer uniform, attacked them. "The Navy's just arrived! That means James' out there too!"

"Sergeant!" The newt turned around to see Frobo and Polly, the robot's metallic body undamaged even after so much fighting, the tadpole showing off a huge grin on her face. "The enemy's starting to retreat! The assault has failed, we have won!"

"Then let's not waste any time and put an end to this once and for all!" Ayn replied, before shouting. "Counterattack! Let's do a sortie! All soldiers who still have energy to spare, follow me. Miss Plantar," she turned to Polly, "you and your friend want to join us?"

"Sure we do!"

"And I'm coming with you too!" Amelia jumped. "My strength is back!"

"Hey, don't tell me you expect me to leave you alone?" Anne playfully teased her. "By the way, shouldn't you, you know-"

"You're right!" The samurai girl replied, making an anime pose. "By the power of Yamato!"

"Does she must do this every time she needs to call for her dragonfly?" One of the Royal Guards panted, looking at Sprig with an incredulous look, the young frog nodding.

"Only always."

"Akitsu, I summon you!" Amelia concluded, as her flying companion reappeared, Anne joining on the dragonfly's back. "To war!"

(…)

In the moment that the Night Guard-led mob attacked his rear, Yussan knew his army was doomed. He'd known that any hope of conquering the castle was lost as soon as the Army arrived on the scene, but these other enemies, nothing more than a crowd made up of civilians, shoddily armed with whatever they could use as a weapon… they weren't trained to fight, not as experienced soldiers were, but they were many, perhaps double his army or more, and they fought with frenzy in their eyes, rushing forward as they let emotions drive their actions. And the Night Guard rangers among them, while scarce, provided them with cover and support, using their crossbow and other weapons to spread chaos and confusion among his own troops.

Just like the Army had, besides Yunan and his 'humans', the range, power and the rate of fire to pick him and his forces to shreds from out of any range he could reply.

New shouts and battle sounds coming from the other side confirmed that the Navy had finally joined as well, their 'marines' apparently not being jokes at all, rather easily pushing through the troops of Count Deiter and rushing toward the center of the formation, where he and the duke currently were.

In other words, his troops were surrounded, without any retreat route left open, pressed against the Castle on one side and three enemy forces on all sides, cutting through his own army like hot knives into butter.

It occurred to Yussan that, one way or another, he wasn't going to survive the day. The thought somehow brought a strange kind of relief to him.

Perhaps he would get the chance to face Yunan one last time, ending his life with an epic duel? Perhaps, even if he would die on this day, he would still live as the memory of the battle would drag on, maybe someday…

His thoughts were interrupted as a high-pitch scream reached him, and he saw the formation of soldiers surrounding them breaking apart as part of the onrushing southern mob rushed toward them, some soldiers losing their nerves and running away, throwing their weapons to move faster as the mob's members attacked the nobles, some drawing their swords and attempting to defend themselves, only to fall quickly for they had never fought before in their life.

"Do your worst, you filthy animals!" The duke suddenly shouted, almost 'awakening' from his silent torpor, drawing the attention of several mob members and making them focus on him. "Kill me! Do it! Do i-YEEAGHH!" The Duke screamed as one toad kicked him in the groin, making him fall onto the floor, several mob members jumping on him and keeping on hitting him with any weapons they had, until his body stopped moving.

I guess we never had a chance, Yussan thought for the last time as he felt something hissing through the hair, and then his vision went black-

"So, the real identity of the Order's leader… was Ernst?!" Headmaster Albert murmured, still unable to process the news, even as he kept rehearsing the same sentence over and over. The leader of the Night Guard seemed to have aged centuries in the time he had spent as a prisoner of the duke's associates, and now that Marcy and her squad mates could finally report to him the full story of what had happened back in the sewers, he now looked even more frail and apoplectic.

"Indeed, sir." Javi shook his head, unable to even imagine how the headmaster felt now, still felling in turmoil on the inside. "Frog, I almost wish Captain Marcy was right, when she came up with all those absurd theories. I'd rather prefer to be one of them rather than…this."

"One of my own best rangers, my future successor… a bastard traitor and criminal, who had willingly sold our city and the lives of all our comrades… for money?!" The headmaster almost spat, restraining himself only because they were in the throne room. "Because someone offered him a fortune, he faked his own death and started a fake cult to burn books and spread chaos?! But who could have been so vicious to offer to hire him to do such crime?!"

"That's not something we should focus, as of this moment." The King waved his hand as, all around him, the surviving staff worked to restore the castle to its former glory. "Even if Ernst managed to escape, with the loss of his mooks, the Order's threat upon our city had been defeated for good. And now that the Duke and his cabal had shown their real face, and attempted to betray us, their failure and end will be an example for everyone who may attempt to follow his steps someday."

"We must thank the people of this city." Marcy said with a prideful expression. "After we helped them they willingly choose to help us fight off the coup, and by gathering together, they formed an unstoppable force that steamrolled upon the duke's army of mercenaries and criminals."

"Indeed, it's soothing to see how our city cares for us," the King nodded. "In fact, I repute that after today, the narrow-minded specism of our species had suffered a fatal blow, even thanks to the actions of you and your second in command." He looked at Maddie, the spellcaster smiling in return.

"I do hope you're not forgetting about everyone else, Your Majesty. With due respect, of course." James took a step forward, the boy still dressed in his Navy officer uniform, the sailors that were his 'escort' silently agreeing him. "Sure, the Night Guard and the people did their part, but so did the Navy, and the Army." He pointed aside, where Yunan, Jacob, Sasha and Bella, plus a few soldiers in armor and holding rifles were standing, the former prankster making a 'thumps up' hand gesture while the blonde girl smirked, her gaze moving to the Sundew, Felicia nodding while Ivy jumped up, excited that both she and her 'cool big sister' had come out of today's adventure on top."

"You're right, and I apologize for making my words unclear." King Andrias replied. "I am sorry, this wasn't an official statement of course. You six," he looked at the humans gathered in front of him, "all managed to impress me today. You performed heroic feats that were key in today's victory, from defending this castle against an apparently endless stream of enemies, from fighting your way through the enemy lines, from rousing up the population against the usurpers to provide critical help at the decisive moment. Not only that, but you also managed to do something that most would've considered impossible to achieve, by making the Army, the Night Guard, the Navy and the Royal Guards work together against a common threat for the first time in centuries. For these reasons, and for your many more achievements and results, you shall receive a reward befitting your heroics, greater than anything else. Similar rewards will be gifted upon your families and companions, who stood to your side even in the darkest moments, as well as your comrades who fought with you to restore order within the walls and defeat the evil cabal against our majesty."

"Frobo, did you hear? We're getting a reward!"

"Yay." The robot replied, his monotone electronic voice unable to tell the excitement running through his mainframe.

"A royal reward, by the king himself!" Felicia cooed, "Ivy, you have no idea how proud I am that we've done this together!"

"Finally, the luxury our family deserve!"

"Oh, believe, me, the reward you shall receive will be beyond your wildest dreams! And not only you, but also the leader of our forces will be rewarded, fur putting down the rebellion." The King added, Yunan, Albert and Ayn all smiling as they heard him. "Of course, I hope you will forgive if we wait a little before you receive them. Beside our current focus on restoring basic services and clean up the damages left by the battle, such a ceremony-"

"Your majesty!" The door to the room opened once again and in walked Lady Olivia. The Royal Advisor was flanked by several guards (mostly of the Royal Guards, but a few were of the Army) as they pulled a small cart, just like the one King Andrias had seen carry the lifeless body of Crixia Bellulung. And this time too, the cart was occupied by the dead body of someone.

"I apologize for interrupting, but while the troops were clearing the battlefield, we found the remains of Duke Pyrforian, and… there is something you should see."

Curiously, the presents watched as Lady Olivia pulled the dead body of their fallen enemy closer to the throne, the Royal Advisor grabbing his head and moving it to one side, to show something off her forehead.

"You see, your Majesty? Here, on the side of his head, there is a hole in his, skull yet no bloods seem to leak out!"

Marcy, puzzled by the affirmation, moved closer, her eyes widening in shock as she realized lady Olivia was telling the truth: there was no blood, nor brain, nor other biological substance emerging from the wound. Rather, she could see wires, and electric sparks.

"Lady Marcy," the Royal Advisor protested as the dark-haired girl rushed to her side, and began to inspect the body, "what are you doing?"

"Checking," she replied, her friend and the other presents in the room gasping as they saw her powers activating once again, a small green flame starting to burn from her right hand before condensing into a laser, her index finger moving on the dead newt's skull as she began to cut it, several of the presents either reacting with disgust or attempting to protect the youngest among them.

"Don't look, girls!" Felicia yelled, grabbing Maddie and Ivy and using her hand to cover their eyes, Hop Pop taking Frobo from Polly and doing the same, the large robot simply rotating his head 180 to avoid looking.

"Hey, what's happening?" Sprig protested, as Anne's hand over his face blinded him. "What's going on?!"

"Believe me," his adoptive sister replied, trying not to look lest she would be forced to vomit, "you don't want to look."

"Ok, that's the third most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my whole life!" James took deep breath to suppress his retching.

"This is much worse than the times we had to study vivisection, back at Saint James." Sasha whispered to Jacob, the boy gasping as Marcy finished her 'work', the upper half of Duke Pyrforian's scalp removed to show-

"My frog!" The King gasped, as he saw the Duke's brain was missing, and instead, an aggregate of electro-mechanical devices was put on its place, wires coming out of every end, connecting to his eyes, his ears and every major feature of the head, a few lights still flickering. "What-what happened to him?!"

"I can't believe this," Marcy herself said, shoving her hand into the electronic faux brain and pulling out what it looked like a microprocessor, a glowing red light flashing form one side as a low blip came from the other. "This looks like… a remote-control system! Someone had been controlling him from the distance, like a puppet!" She claimed, horror dawning upon her as she held the device in her hand. "This is the receiver!"

"But then," Jacob murmured, the horror of discovery having wiped of him any emotion, his voice reduced to little more than a whisper, "where is the transmitter?!"

(…)

Far away from Newtopia, a wooden ship resembling a carrack sailed southward, carrying onboard two unplanned passengers who had been able to buy a spot onboard. In his room, situated below the deck and separated by the rest of the ship by a wooden wall and a closed door, Dark Armor had now finished removing his dark, conspicuous pitch-black armor and was now dressed in a simple dress of brown color, the thick fabric covering his faux tail, tall black boots at his feet, a small cowl and a shawl wrapped around his face (showing only his eyes).

He had just decided he was satisfied with the results when he suddenly heard a beeping sound come from his armor. After looking around warily, making sure no one had heard that, the disguised being marched to the armor, grabbed its helm and began to inspect its insides, until he found what he was looking for: a small electronic device, with a few wires hanging wild, and a transmitter, the beeping sound giving him an alarm signal.

Immediately, he pulled the transmitter free, the sound stopping immediately as it deactivated, before placing it on a hidden pocket of his new clothes. Then, he put the armor back to his place and walked toward the door, the sound of the cargo hold clashing together mixing with the loud voices of the crewmen, some teasing him as he closed the door before resuming his walk.

"Your friend still refuses to leave his cabin, Mr. Denai," one of them said, "is he still feeling seasick?"

"Probably, I hope that's not an issue for you."

"Nah, if you pay, you can behave however you want. He wants to spend the rest of the journey holed up there, that's his business." The sailor chuckled, before continuing. "That said, the captain confirms that we have a good tailwind, so we should reach Dawnblood Island by tomorrow morning."

"Perfect! We're eager to reach our… destination."