Amphibia: Calamity Warriors
Chapter Forty-Five: Return to Wartwood
To return to Frog Valley was certainly a welcoming thing for Shadow, as the group rode through the Valley toward their hometown. For five years, Shadow had grown to accept Wartwood as his home away from home, and that love for the town grew as he earned the townsfolks trust and respect.
Hop Pop inhaled deeply, taking in the country air. "Ah, how I miss the swamp air. The aroma of grass, a whisper of manure, and just a pinch of humidity." He looked to his right. "Do you feel that humidity, fellas?"
Sitting next to him, both Anne and Shadow were sweating heavily, with Anne's hair being very frazzled from the humidity, and yet Shadow still wore that hood over his head.
"A pinch." Anne said.
"No doubt." Shadow added.
"Shadow, seriously, why're you still wearing that?" Ivy asked the male human. "Aren't you hot?"
"Not even a little." Shadow denied, despite sweating like a horse. "Plus, wearing heavy clothing in the heat strengthens your mental fortitude."
Just then, Polly gasped as she popped out of Anne's frazzled hair. "I see it! I see it! I can see Wartwood!"
The group saw that they were indeed approaching the town, the town sign with the slogan 'Slow to accept, even slower to respect' coming into view. It wasn't long before Sprig pulled out his fiddle and started to play it while singing.
Wartwood, O mighty Wartwood
I sing to thee
Our noble history
A newt told a toad...
But don't let them escape poverty
Just outside the town entrance, Sadie Croaker was walking her pet tarantula when she heard the little frog boy's singing.
"Hey, I know that irritating voice." She said, turning her head to see the Plantar fwagon and the garrison approaching before she shot out her tongue to ring the bell over the gate. "The Plantars are back! Get out here, everyone! It's the Plantars!"
The citizens came out of their homes and left their shops, approaching the gate to greet the returning group, all greeting them with open arms.
"Heya, folks!" Hop Pop greeted as he jumped off the fwagon.
Just then, Sylvia ran in and pulled the old frog in a bear hug. "Hoppy!"
"Sylvia!" Hop Pop replied with hearts in his eyes.
"Come here, city boy!"
Anne climbed off the wagon, with Shadow and Kaemon following behind, the latter holding Polly with his tail.
"Any luck finding a way back to your world, Anne?" Loggle asked.
"Not yet. But we're 'whittling away at it'." Anne replied with a pun.
Loggle chuckled before whispering to a frog, "That wood reference was for me."
"Well, if it isn't the Plantars and Shadow!" Wally declared as he made his way to the front of the crowd, doing several flips as he approached the couple. "Haven't seen you lot for a long time. Uh, definitely didn't see you on your trip."
"Whatever you say, 'Walliam'." Ivy teased.
Wally cleared his throat and left, pulling the front of his hat down a bit.
"Ivy Hibiscus Matcha Sundew!"
Ivy cringed at the sound of her full name being called, before looking to see her mother marching towards her.
"Oh boy, full name." Ivy said nervously, rubbing her arm before looking up at Shadow. "You mind giving us some space?"
The boy in black nodded before stepping back, as the young frog girl turned to her approaching mother. "Mom, I know what you're gonna say, but I really wanted to go on this trip with Sprig and Shadow. I wasn't sure if you'd agree, so I left a note-"
"Of course, I would have said yes!" Felicia exclaimed.
Ivy blinked at this, Maddie seeming equally surprised. "Huh?"
"I knew it was only a matter of time before you got it in your head to go adventuring," Felicia explained. "And I've seen you train with Shadow, and seeing how experienced he is, I knew I had nothing to fear." She then frowned. "Still, I would have preferred if you waited for me to give my approval."
"So, you're not mad?" Ivy asked, hopefully.
"Oh, I am, actually." Felicia said. "You're on kitchen duty for a month, young lady."
Ivy pouted, but accepted the punishment, Maddie patting her back.
Toadstool made his way through the crowd, all the while holding Toadie by his hands and whacking him with his golden cane, making a bell ringing sound.
"Just simmer down now! Come on, simmer down. Market stops for no one." The toad mayor declared. "Y'all can welcome back the Plantars after business hours." He then saw Shadow and Kaemon. "Hey there, boys! So glad you two could make it back."
"That's a first." Shadow chuckled, although Kaemon seemed to frown a bit.
"Oh! How about we all meet at my restaurant tonight?" Stumpy suggested. "Have a town dinner for Shadow and the Plantars."
"We're in." Hop Pop declared, Polly sat on his head. "I can't wait for some authentic swamp cooking!"
"And I can't wait for that Newtopian coral hand fitment." Stumpy replied, pulling out a flyer and pointing at said coral hand. "Thanks for pickin' it up for me."
"Say, if we're all gonna be together anyway, why not bring all the gifts from our wish list?" Sadie duggested.
"Sounds like a great idea, Mrs. Croaker!" Hop Pop declared. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got gift wrapping to do. To surprise ya'll."
With the plans made, the townsfolk went about their business while the Plantars proceeded to drive the wagons back to the house, with Shadow and Anne driving the garrison. Kaemon looked at the townsfolk, their kindness warming him on the inside, before feeling eyes on him, looking behind him, but saw no one. Shrugging, he followed the Plantars, unaware of a certain bounty hunter watching from afar.
"I told you, this was far from over, boy." Scaleson Crat whispered before holding up a wicked book with a stitched face on the front. "Not by a long shot."
At the Plantar home, the Plantars were in the process of wrapping gifts, with Anne, Shadow and Kaemon helping.
"Still glad Cody helped with the shopping." Hop Pop commented, having finished wrapping the romance novel Sadie asked for.
"You mean Cody did all the work, while you sat in the massage chair most of the day." Shadow commented with a snicker.
"But if you could feel it, Shadow!" Hop Pop protested.
Kaemon, on the other hand, was oddly quiet, slowly but surely wrapping up the coral hand Stumpy wanted before looking up to see the Plantars, Anne, and Shadow interact. Such a wholesome scene made him remember the times with his own mother. Sure, his father was never around, but he made the most of it working with his mother at her shop.
Then when he went on the road, he made many friends along the way, doing odd jobs for the towns he stayed in to earn his keep. The townsfolk loved him and treated him like family, and he treated them the same in return.
But then Scaleson arrived and everything changed.
"Kaemon?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, the swordnewt looked up to see his master and friends giving him worried looks.
"Are you alright, dude?" Anne asked with concern. "You're usually more hyped up."
"Yeah, is everything okay, Kaemon?" Hop Pop asked.
Kaemon considered it for a bit before sighing. "I'm fine, it's just…been a while since I've been a part of family bonding times like this."
"Was it because of what that Crat jerk said about your mom?" Sprig asked. "You don't have to worry; I'm sure she's a nice lady!"
"Yeah, he was just a jerk trying to get under your skin." Polly added.
"I appreciate it, guys, but that's not what's bothering me." Kaemon said.
"Then what?" Anne asked.
"It's the town." Kaemon said. "They've been so nice to me, practically accepting me as one of their own. It feels nice."
"Did the previous towns not treat you well?" Hop Pop asked.
"No, quite the opposite, in fact." Kaemon assured. "When I first popped up, this one town treated me like the town hero."
"But then Scaleson showed up." Shadow frowned.
"Yeah, you can say that." Kaemon nodded grimly. "It was bad enough that he caught me, but then he dragged me back into town and bragged about it." He lowered his head. "The worst part? I saw him hand a sack of coppers to the town elder and said 'thanks for your cooperation'."
"They sold you out?!" Anne gasped.
"Just goes to show that money really does talk." Hop Pop said. "Still, you won't have to worry about that here!"
"Yeah, we've got your back, dude!" Polly declared.
"You're this towns hero and we'll never turn on you!" Sprig chimed in. "You've got nothing to worry about!"
Kaemon looked at them with surprise. Ever since that day, he felt his self-worth questioned after that moment of betrayal, only to feel that fire ignite twice over since coming under Shadow's tutelage. Now, since staying in Wartwood, he made new friends and even found love.
"Thanks, guys." He said, smiling, feeling a weight lifted off his chest.
"Now, hurry up, gang." Hop Pop urged. "These gifts aren't going to wrap themselves!"
Nighttime had fallen, and just outside of Wartwood, Scaleson Crat stared intently at the town. After surviving the fall, he kept a safe distance from the caravan, following them all the way to Wartwood. Now, he had a chance to not only kill the Four Sword Demon, but make him suffer as well.
"Boss."
He turned to his henchmen. "Did you get what I asked?" He asked.
"Sure did." One of them nodded, holding up a curled horn. "One horn from a sky goat, whose arcane note pierces the air."
Another one held up a slab of obsidian. "Cursed obsidian to amplify the dark energy."
"Finally, we need candles for that evil ritual vibe." Another said, holding up red candles.
"Wait, that's not in the book." Scaleson said with a raised brow.
"Trust me, it's a thing, Boss." The candle bearer said before holding up a jug with a picture of a campfire on it. "They even have 'campfire'!"
Scaleson blinked a few times before shaking his head. "Whatever. Now, we have everything we need for the ritual."
One of the henchmen stepped forward and poked the cover of the book. "Is that real skin? Or very convincing leather?"
Genuinely curious, Scaleson poked the cover. "Hmm…not quite sure." He said before putting it away. "Not important. Now, get the ritual started already!"
It took little time, the villainous group completing the setup, drawing a red unholy circle in the ground and lighting the candles, all wearing black robes like a cult.
"Play the forbidden note."
At Scaleson's command, the henchman blew into the horn, creating a harmonic noise.
"Corrupt its sacred message."
Another dropped the slab into the horn, distorting the blaring of the horn into something malevolent. Suddenly, the summoning circle glowed before shooting a ray of energy into the sky before suddenly dying down.
Everyone remained silent. They saw nothing that hinted at the beast emerging from the sky to answer their summon.
"That's IT?!" One henchman yelled, throwing his hands into the air. "After all that, we get nothing?!"
He was answered with a hard fist to the head from Scaleson, knocking him to the ground.
"Have patience, fool." The bounty hunter scolded. "It's only a matter of time before it arrives."
High in the mountains stood a great beast that took the shape of a giant chicken sat on the peak of a mountain, red lightning flashing around it, asleep.
Until it heard the call, its eyes flashing open.
Back in town, there was upbeat music playing as the party was in full swing. Several tables were brought outside Stumpy's diner so everyone could enjoy the scenery. There was also a pile of neatly wrapped presents stacked in a pile outside the restaurant, with a sign hanging over the pile that read 'Welcome Back Plantars and Presents'.
Stumpy stood at the barbeque, talking with Hop Pop. "And I must say, Cody and those kids have been a big help throughout our journey!"
"I was wonderin' who those strangers were." Stumpy said. "Anyways, can we open the gifts soon? I'm itching for that hand. Not literally. No feelin' in it." The grill then caught fire.
Hop Pop chuckled. "Why rush it? Besides, Shadow wants to give a big speech before we start opening gifts."
"Makes sense." Stumpy shrugged.
At a table nearby, Sprig and Kaemon were having dinner with their girlfriends, both laughing at their experience on the road.
"And then Shadow hit the giant red button to save Hop Pop from the Ruins of Doom!" Sprig exclaimed, finishing his story.
"You girls probably missed it." Kaemon said.
"Yeah, but I didn't miss Polly hijacking the wagon." Ivy chuckled. "I was motion-sick for a while."
"Still, the whole trip was insane!" Maddie declared. "Who woulda thought our resident recluse was the adopted son of the king!"
Kaemon nearly frowned at that, thinking about every time they were in the presence of the king. After overhearing the conversation between father and son, Kaemon paid careful attention to his master; every glare shot at the king when he thought nobody noticed, every time he mumbled under his breath, Kaemon could feel the venom.
But why?
"Kaemon, you okay?" Sprig asked the swordnewt. "You're spacing out again."
"Sorry, it's just," Kaemon said, rubbing the back of his head. "I was wondering if, once we get the music box charged, maybe we could visit Anne in her world."
"That could be possible," Sprig said confidently. "I bet it'd be so cool!"
Just then, Shadow and Anne stood onstage, the boy in black holding a microphone. "May I have everyone's attention?" He requested.
Everyone turned and gave their undivided attention.
"Now, I'd like to dedicate this to show my appreciation for all that you've done for me over the years." He declared. "When I was first brought to this town, I admit, I didn't make the best first impression. But over time, you've accepted me as one of your own. And as a thank you, I stood in your defense. Be it beasts of the wild, the bully toads, or just looking after the new freak in town, I did everything I could to repay your kindness. And for that, I thank you."
"Ignoring the freak comment," Anne spoke up, earning a chuckle from Shadow. "I would also like to thank you. When you first saw me, no doubt you wanted to tie me up and roast me in a fire pit."
"The thought did cross our minds." One frog admitted.
"Only a few." Another said.
"But over time, thanks to Shadow and the Plantars, you also accepted me as one of your own." Anne continued. "So, from the bottom on my heart, thank you."
The frogs clapped loudly, cheering.
"Alright," Shadow declared. "You may now open your gifts."
Everyone cheered with glee before proceeding to open their gifts, all happy with glee.
But the atmosphere soon changed when the skies darkened and the red moon glowed, the dark clouds parting as thunder struck, a large creature descending from the sky. The creature looked like a giant chicken with dark brown feathers, dragon wings and claws, its red beak somehow having sharp teeth. Other than the scars on its head, it had a devil-like bone handle sword, arrows and broken spears and blades embedded in its hide, no doubt having been summoned and attacked before.
Once it touched ground, it spread its wings and let out a terrifying shriek, causing the nearby frogs to run back screaming.
"What is that thing?" Anne asked in shock.
"Chicka-lisk, the Storm Bearer." Maddie answered, oddly excited. "It's an honor to see him. You know, before he kills us."
"Who in the world could have predicted this?!" Hop Pop screamed.
The Chicka-lisk squawked before taking notice of the presents, blinking several times before squawking, seemingly with glee.
Translation: Presents?! I love presents! Thanks, you guys!
"What the heck is it saying?!" Anne asked.
"No idea. Its language is older than written history." Maddie said.
"Shadow?" Anne inquired her boyfriend.
"My bird tongue doesn't reach that far back," Shadow said. "But it looks like he's taken an interest in the gifts."
"Say WHAAAATTT?!" Hop Pop gasped loudly.
"Oh heck naw!" Polly yelled, pulling out her mace. "Not after all the trouble we went through to get them!"
"I'd never forgive myself if I let Cody's help go wasted!" Hop Pop declared, putting his dukes up.
"You and the others might want to get back, Ivy." Shadow suggested, pulling out Black Hope. "This could get dangerous."
"No way! You guys did something nice for us." Ivy denied, getting on a table and addressing the crowd. "Are we gonna let some chicken get away with this? Would the Plantars? Would Shadow?"
"No!"
"Well, then, come on! Let's save those presents! For the Plantars!" Ivy yelled.
"For the Plantars!" The townsfolk yelled, charging at the beast.
"Wait, no, Ivy!" Sprig yelled, but it was too late.
The townsfolk grabbed several rocks and threw them at the approaching beast, the Chicka-lisk shrieking as he was pelted with rocks.
Translation: The heck?!
The Chicka-lisk then felt a stabbing feeling in his foot, looking down to see Loggle stabbing his foot with a pitchfork.
"I'm Loggle."
The beast sneered with narrowed eyes before shrieking again.
Translation: Welp. Consider me provoked.
The beast then flapped his wings, creating a miniature tornado that sent the townsfolk flying, Ivy included, but Sprig managed to catch her.
"Let's spatchcock this chicken!" Anne declared, pulling out Azura's Tear and her shield.
Some of the townsfolk seemed to agree before charging in once again.
"Wait, guys, we gotta work together!" Anne called out.
"Yes, who knows what this thing can do?" Shadow added.
As if the beast was going to prove the boy in black's point, the Chicka-lisk's eyes glowed purple before he fired purple beams from his eyes, petrifying some of the townsfolk, much to the others shock.
"Holy moly!" Anne yelled.
"Cool!" Maddie exclaimed.
"Maddie! Can you cure them?" Shadow asked the witch.
"Uh, yeah, sure." She replied before pulling out several sacks of curses. "I should have enough antidote for everyone... probably."
"Good enough!" Sprig exclaimed.
"For Wartwood!" Hop Pop declared before charging in with the humans.
"For Wartwood!" Sprig, Polly, and Kaemon declared before following behind.
While Maddie threw the curse sacks to restore the townsfolk, Shadow and Anne led the charge, with Hop Pop, Polly, Sprig, Ivy, Kaemon and Wally following behind, along with Toadstool and Sadie taking up the rear.
"Split up! We have to surround it!" Shadow shouted.
"Right!" Everyone shouted before doing what he asked.
The Chicka-lisk shrieked before firing his petrification beams again, Anne holding her shield out to block the beam before Wally, Sprig and Ivy threw boom shrooms at the beast's face, breaking his concentration. Slightly annoyed, the beast flying up in the air before slamming his feet on the ground to create shockwaves that sent the trio flying. Hop Pop, with Polly on his head, Sylvia and Kaemon were able to avoid the shockwaves before jumping up close, delivering a punch, nail scratch and sword slash to the beast's face, but his wounds healed soon after they were inflicted. Angered, he shot fire from his mouth, burning some of the decorations and almost destroying the gifts, Anne holding up her shield to block the flames, while Toadstool held up a petrified Toadie to block the blast.
"Nice! Using Toadie's stone body as a shield." Anne complimented.
"Wait, he's stone?" Toadstool said in surprise.
While the beast was focused on the larger force, Sadie and her pet spider snuck up behind and climbed up the backside, Sadie hitting him several times in the head while Archie spun webs around the beak to stop the fire, before the Chicka-lisk shock them off, breaking the webs before letting out a shriek.
"This thing's unbeatable!" Anne yelled.
"Nothing's unbeatable!" Shadow declared. "Come on, Anne, in the words of Almight, it's time to go Plus Ultra!"
Anne nodded, the two concentrating energy before activating Calamity Trigger, both boy and girl surrounded by black and blue energy before readying their weapons.
The Chicka-lisk, on the other hand, suddenly seemed terrified, when the couple powered up. His eyes widened at the sight, stepping back out of fear.
"Oh, not so tough now, when we're like this, huh?" Anne smirked, readying her sword. "Time to skin this bird!"
"Hold on, Anne!" Toadstool held up a hand, as Maddie casted one more spell to restore Toadie. "No need to waste energy. Everyone, Chicka-lisk formation!"
"We have a formation for this?" Toadie questioned.
"We have a formation for everything!"
Everyone then stacked on top one another, forming a shape similar to the Chicka-lisk.
"Come on, Kaemon!" Toadstool yelled, holding his hands up.
Nodding, Kaemon joined in, holding his arms out like a bird's beak, the townsfolk jumping a few times as the beast stared at them, before shifting his eyes left to right before crowing in offense.
Translation: Okay that's just offensive, you guys. Chicka-lisk, out!
In a ray of red light, the Chicka-lisk disappeared, leaving the townsfolk to celebrate their victory.
"We did it!" Hop Pop declared.
"Finger lickin' gone!" Anne whooped.
"And I got a new sword for my collection!" Kaemon added, holding up the bone handle sword.
"But where on earth did it come from?" Sadie Croaker asked.
"The Chicka-lisk is usually summoned." Maddie said. "But who would summon such a beast? And why?"
Looking at the spot the Chicka-lisk had once stood before leaving, Shadow was in thought. Over the years, he had come across grimoires that involve dark rituals, and the one involving the Chicka-lisk indeed was one of those rituals.
"Oi, we still sent it packing, at the end of the day!" Wally declared. "So, what does it matter?"
"Yeah, all's well that ends well." Toadstool said. "Still, giant monsters, property damage, putting the entire town in danger." He turned to the Plantars, Shadow, Anne and Kaemon. "It seems trouble follows you lot wherever you go."
The group looked down in shame.
The mayor then chuckled. "I gotta admit, I missed it!"
The group looked on in surprise as Sadie added. "Things have been really boring without you lot causing mayhem and learning emotional lessons."
"Wait, so you don't care that we almost got killed by an elder god?" Hop Pop asked.
"Not especially." Loggle shrugged.
"We're just glad you're back." Stumpy said.
"Well, that was certainly a homecoming experience, huh, Ivy?" Sprig asked his girlfriend, before receiving a punch to the arm in response. "Ow!"
"It's never a dull moment with you around." Ivy said with a smile. "But I wouldn't mind going on a normal date, for once."
With that, she then kissed Sprig on the cheek, making him go frozen with happiness, all the while Anne watched and squealing with glee.
"Okay, we're done here." Shadow said, grabbing Anne by the arm and pulling her away, with Kaemon following behind.
"Curses! That beast was useless!"
After the failure of using the Chicka-lisk to attack Wartwood, Scaleson and his gang retreated from the town to avoid detection, all the while the bounty hunter was fuming at the failure.
"That beast was supposed to destroy them! Why didn't it work?!"
"Boss, I think I know the problem," One of the henchmen said, holding up the book. "It says here that the Chicka-lisk doesn't eat amphibians and only attacks when provoked."
Even more angry, the bounty hunter knocked the book from his hands, "Forget the book! We'll find another way to deal with the Four Sword!"
The gang started to leave, away from the town, the bounty hunter staring at the town one more time before leaving himself, fuming still from this recent failure, yet determined to kill his target.
Meanwhile, Shadow, Anne and Kaemon returned to the hut outside of Wartwood, entering said hut and soaking in the welcoming swamp atmosphere.
"Man, it feels good to be home!" Kaemon exclaimed, stretching his arms.
"Always nice to be back out in the country." Anne said in agreement.
"Alright, I expect you two to get plenty of rest." Shadow said sternly. "The temples will be challenging and we need to be ready for anything. So, until we're ready to head out, we're gonna raise the difficulty of our training to the max."
"Yes, Master!" Both students declared with salutes.
"Good, now get to bed and rest well."
Kaemon went to his room, but as Anne was about to head for hers, Shadow stopped her.
"Can I talk to you for a moment?" He asked.
"Sure, what's on your mind?" Anne nodded.
"These past few months, we've been through a lot." Shadow told her. "And now, with the end seemingly almost in sight, it seems our journey is going to come to an end."
"Yeah, it's been a heck of a ride." Anne replied. "And who knows? Maybe we'll visit?"
"Yeah, about that…" Shadow said, hesitating at first before telling her, "Anne, I've made up my mind; I want to go to Earth with you!"
"Wait, really?" Anne did a double take.
"Yes, I want to see what I've been missing out on." The boy said, taking Anne's hands into his. "I want to see my parents, I want to go to school, I want…" He stopped for a moment before saying, "I want to be a normal human."
Anne blinked at this. She still remembered mentioning the idea back when they were working on Stumpy's diner, of bringing the boy to Earth and start a new life. To hear him actually tell her his answer made her heart beat fast.
With a smile, she pulled the boy she loved in a hug.
"Well, you can count on me to help you get adjusted to it." She told him. "And when we get to Earth, we'll start with a normal date. No giant monsters, no bounty hunters trying to kill us, no life threatening situations. Just a normal, slice of life with a hint of romcom. And who knows? Maybe we'll find your parents too!"
Shadow smiled. "I look forward to it."
After sharing a quick kiss, the two went to bed, the boy's mind thinking on his new goal. Finally, after fifteen years of living as a tool, he would finally be free.
Finally, he can be better.
And there's my take on Return to Wartwood! This was surprisingly fun to write, as we explore more of Kaemon's backstory and more cute couple moments, and of course, Shadow deciding he wants to go to Earth with Anne! Hoo boy, I can't wait til we reach season three, Shadow is gonna feel so lost!
And of course, Scaleson Crat returns, and he's out for blood! So, as you can see, since in this version, Hop Pop didn't forget the gifts from the wish list, thanks to Cody, so he and the Plantars had no reason to summon the Chicka-lisk. Of course, that just means Scaleson has a reason, and his attempt failed. He's definitely gonna be a reoccurring villain down the line.
By the way, is anyone else feeling teary eyed? *sniff sniff* Yeah, we're reaching the tear jerker chapter, After The Rain, or as I call it, the Sorrow of the Wolf. Be warned, we're gonna see a lot more of Shadow's past, things that made him the feared monster worthy of such a scary reputation. So, brace yourselves, it's gonna get dark near the end, and there's gonna be a lot of flashbacks involved, but hopefully not too many.
Anyways, thanks for reading as always, and I hope you stick around for more! Reviews are greatly appreciated!