The beating heart of Amphibia

The group made it to the large castle at the very center of Newtopia. Sasha, Anne, and Jacob kept snapping photos, while Marcy added more and more sketches of anything she saw in her Journal, with James at her side, making sure she didn't trip as she sketched and wrote while walking, their frog families surrounding them.

"This place is…amazing!" Amelia said, looking at the massive structure on top of the final layer of the castle. "Can you imagine if we arrived here instead of Wartwood?"

"Oh, it would have been amazing!" Marcy nodded, not seeing the hurt look Maddie was giving her. "Working for the king, going into amazing adventures and quest-"

"You would also have never met Maddie, or Ivy, or Felicia, or… us." Hop Pop pointed out, "And while we've had our up and downs, I am quite happy you ended with us."

"Yes! My life was boring before my big sis became a part of it!" Ivy looked at Sasha with a proud expression, earning a smile from the blonde human.

"And I with you," Anne smiled at Sprig and Polly. "Before we arrived here, I was quite lazy and uncaring, but after spending two months with you, I have grown so much and done things I would have never believed myself capable of. And I'm not the only one that 'grew' in Wartwood."

"We all changed and become better," Jacob nodded. "Even Amelia and I are more accepting of and happier with each other."

"Indeed, there is no guarantee we would have grown the same if we'd arrived here, or someplace else." James felt a shiver running on his back, as they walked through the entrance of the big castle. There was something, in the appearance of the castle, that made him feel uneasy. But what?

"Oh, I would have never wanted to be separated from you, Maddie!" Marcy spoke again in realization, "But who knows, maybe we can still have some crazy adventures here, while we try to find a way back. Don't you agree?"

"Yes, we surely…will." Maddie sniffed the air as she looked around, unable to suppress the dreadful smell of evil, whose source she couldn't locate.

(…)

The group was now inside the castle, gathered in the great halls of the palace, the frogs and the humans amazed on the extravagate and luxurious decor.

"Dang, this place is awesome!" Anne said as she looked around her, "It's even better than the mansion of Wally's family."

"That's because this is supposed to be a Royal Castle, where the king himself lives and rules his vast dominion." James replied, almost scoffing. "Just like Windsor, or any other royal palace, the luxury and fine decorations are a way for the sovereign to show off his power and wealth, as well as try to intimidate anyone who is not used to such…environments."

"Wow, I can't believe we're here!" Sprig said.

"That we are inside Newtopia' castle!" Ivy agreed with equal excitement.

"And that we're about to meet the king of Amphibia!" Polly quipped.

"I wonder how he looks like…" Maddie murmured, genuinely curious to see with her own eyes what was their monarch's face.

"Wow, just look at this place." Hop Pop muttered, feeling out of place and scared by the luxuries surrounding him, "Am I dressed okay? Should I have worn my silk ascot? I'll go back and get it!"

"See?" The British teen said, pointing to the rest of the group. "This is what I was talking about earlier: intimidation."

"Huh-huh."

"I see."

"Nice psychological trick."

"Hop Pop, please, calm down!" Felicia moved to stop the old farmer, as she tried to tranquilize him. "The King requested an immediate audience, didn't he? And it's not a good thing to make a monarch wait. Just straighten your jacket and be mindful of what you do or say, and we should be okay." She looked at Sprig, Ivy, and Polly. "That goes for you too!"

"Maybe, it would be better if I spoke first?" James volunteered, "I mean, I'm the one who has the better idea on how to behave in front of a king, so-"

"Why, did you perhaps meet your king last time you went to Buckingham palace?" Sasha asked with a chuckle, as she tried to vent her own emotions with sarcasm.

"No, but I know the proper etiquette anyone should keep in presence of a sovereign." James counterpointed, as he began to explain. "First, the formal salutation for males is a neck bow, from the head only, while ladies are expected to do a small courtesy. Second, the title you're expected to use on the first meeting is 'Your Royal Highness', and ONLY LATER, should the King allow for it, you should use 'sir'. Third, you can never sit while the King is standing; only after he sat down, you're allowed to do the same. Fourth-"

"Frog, so many rules!" Ivy said, with a bit of disdain in her face. "And we're expected to do all of that?"

"We are not meeting some of your 'faithful' customers, we're going to meet the King himself! You wouldn't want him to think we're rude."

"And you follow all these rules with your own Royal family, in the UK?" Anne raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to think.

"It's called Tradition! Something you Yankee doodles cannot understand!"

"Guys, guys, calm down!" Marcy intervened, "Don't let yourself be stressed out: I am sure this is not a big deal."

Almost prophetically, the Newt guards, on both sides of the doors leading to the throne room, unlocked it to allow Lady Olivia to come out and look at the group with a stern expression.

"Okay, humans and frogs." The Royal advisor spoke with a solemn voice, while giving them a deadly serious expression. You're about to meet King Andrias. This is a big deal!" She underlined her last sentence to mean how serious she was.

The frogs and the humans gulped at the same time, while any hint of self-confidence they had simply evaporated, as the reality of the situation struck them.

"Uh…maybe it would be better if we stay in the back, don't you agree guys?" Ivy said, looking at Sprig, Maddie, and Polly. "Just in case."

"I-I think I like this idea."

"Huh-uh!"

"Agreed!"

"Then is settled!" Anne took word once again. "James? Since you're the most knowledgeable among us about all this royalty stuff, you're now our spokesperson! At least while we try to see what kind of person the King is. You'll be able to deal with it, right?"

The British teen gulped, looking at the open door leading to the royal throne room like it was challenging him. Could he pull it off? Could he protect his friends, like he had done countless times, by using what he knew about etiquette with royals?

Surely, he wasn't going to back off.

"Let's do this." He took a big breath before marching forward…only for the guards to move, blocking their path.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, but before you go and meet the king," he looked at the humans, her eyes glancing over their weapons. "I'll have to ask you to leave here all your weapons. It isn't permitted to be armed in the presence of the King."

"That's…"

"Understandable," Felicia shrugged, taking out her sword and placing it on a nearby table, before removing her daggers, hidden knives, and other weapons she had been carrying hidden on her dress and uniform. "Come on guys, let's leave them here."

Lady Olivia and the two guards watched in silence as Hop Pop approached the table and left his large hammer on it, before turning around and taking Sprig's slingshot.

"Your turn, Polly." He now turned to his blood granddaughter. "Hand Ol' Doris here."

"But I need it!"

"Pol-ly."

"Fine." The tadpole grunted, handing down her long-time rolling pin and placing it on the counter.

"And the flail."

"Ugh!" The tadpole protested, taking her backup weapon hidden in her bow and leaving it too.

"Maddie," Felicia looked at her, while Ivy was finishing her own, "spell and curses do count as weapons, so please leave your spellcaster belt here."

"Alright, but don't to touch anything!" Maddie angrily pointed at the two guards, who simply snickered in response. "One hand in the wrong place, or just one crazy movement of an ingredient, and you may curse the whole castle."

"I promise, on behalf of our King and all of Newtopia, that we won't lay a hand on your…spell ingredients," Lady Olivia put a hand on her heart, before glancing at the two guards, her cold glare meaning she was serious on that promise. "Of course, should something happen while we have possession of them, I'll consider you two responsible."

"A-at your orders, Royal Advisor!" One of the guards said, saluting her.

"I'll leaving mine as well," Marcy nodded, putting her own spell-making gear on the table, alongside the darts of her crossbow and a couple other short knives and daggers. "Now I should be fine?"

"You're not taking out your crossbow?" Hop Pop questioned, seeing it still attached to her wrist.

"I want to show it off! Plus, without darts, it's harmless!"

"Hey," Sprig protested, "then I too could have kept my slingshot and just left the projectiles!"

"You had to think about it earlier, Sprig!" Polly teased him.

"If that's so, Royal Advisor" Anne took off her sword and placed it next to Felicia's. "Can I keep my tennis racket? That's not technically a weapon, is a sport instrument."

"As long as you keep it on yourself and don't brandish it, sure." Lady Olivia nodded, before looking over Amelia, Jacob and Sasha, the only ones of the group who still hadn't dropped their weapons. "Your turn."

"Do we have to?" Jacob scratched the side of his head, looking reluctant to separate himself from his war hammer.

"Yeah, I am a samurai!" Amelia felt in need to protest, "My katana is basically a part of my soul."

"I'm sorry, but as I clearly stated before, you can't have an audience with the King while armed, unless you're a member of Newtopia's military forces, or if you'd prefer to wait outside…"

"Come on, guys!" James quipped, "We're done, and we are all waiting for you."

Amelia hissed, yet she complied, as she took Yamato, her precious katana, from her back with its scabbard and placed it on the counter with the other weapons, already forming a small pile of swords, daggers, darts, spell bags and anything else the group had carried for their own protection. Yet, as the samurai girl moved to rejoin the others, lady Olivia shook her head, prompting one of the guards to stop her.

"All your weapons." The Royal Advisor repeated, as Amelia walked back to the counter and took, in the order, two hidden knives, one short dagger from her left boot, another dagger from her right boot, an armored fan from under her armor, several Shuriken-like throwing items and even a small collection of spells and explosive bags that she received both from Marcy and Jacob.

"Amelia, you carry all of that stuff with you all the time?" Maddie asked in surprise, noticing how the weapons pile looked half bigger thanks to Amelia's contributions alone.

"I'm a kunoichi, I'm supposed to be always armed!"

"We are!" Polly loudly said, only to receive a scolding look from Hop Pop and Sprig.

"What a kunoichi?" Asked a confused Ivy "I thought you were a samurai?"

"It's pretty much the same!" The human in the cone hat replied with a puff.

"It's pretty much not, though…" Marcy replied, with a sly smile on her face.

"Semantics!"

"Alright, we get it! Sasha and Jacob? It's your turn now." Felicia looked at her adoptive daughter first, "Please, remove your swords and your hammer."

While grumbling, the two humans did as the veteran adventurer said, placing her twin heron sword and the giant toad war hammer on the table.

"All your swords." Hop Pop said, prompting Sasha to move one hand to her back and take out yet another silver-looking sword hidden in the back of her armor, hidden by the cape.

"And the hidden daggers."

"What?!"

"But what if we need them?!"

"Guys…" Anne simply looked at them.

"Ok, ok…" the two remaining humans began to remove the hidden daggers they had all over their body. For Sasha it was one for each pauldron, two more from her hair, one from her right sleeve, one from the left, three more hidden under her armor and two more tied to her boots. Meanwhile, Jacob took out two large knives hidden on both his side, a long knife in his left sleeve, two smaller ones from his Viking helmet, an even smaller knife from his armor's chest.

The bewilderment of those who were watching (including lady Olivia and her guards) grew even more as Sasha sat down and took one of her boots, making several more daggers fall out of it and into the floor, before she repeated the process with the other boot.

"How can you even walk?" Hop Pop commented, seeing the many daggers rolling out of Sasha's boots.

"Don't forget your hidden axes," Amelia rolled her eyes, as Jacob removed his cape and took out two small axes hidden in his armor's back.

"And your black powder." James added on, so Jacob once again turned to the counter and took out several bags of explosive powder, that he kept both on small bags around his waist and several other hidden places all over his armor.

"And the small spell stash I gave you last time." Maddie spoke, and Jacob pulled out one of his sleeves and removed several more spell bags hidden in there.

"Is — is that everything?" Lady Olivia asked, looking over the pile of weapons, now triple the size thanks to Jacob and Sasha's additions.

"No, there are still the backups of the backups, of course!" Jacon spoke in a serious tone, patting over his armors. "But if you want to have them too, you'll have to wait a bit."

"Since when you carry a whole armory on you?!" Anne groaned, clearly unable to assimilate the reality of the situation.

(…)

"I can't believe we had to wait ten more minutes just so Jacob could remove all his hidden weapons," Marcy said, somewhat amused by the shenanigan they went through.

"I can't believe you two had so many weapons hidden on you, all this time!" Hop Pop seemed to have forgotten his previous fear and was now trying to scold the two. "What in frogs' name do you ever need them for?!"

"Hey, those weapons were just in case we ended up facing something riskier, or we couldn't rely on our main weapons." Jacob replied, feeling 'naked' now that he wouldn't feel the weight of his hammer on his back or the various hidden daggers and black powder bags inside his armor. "As long as I can carry them, what's the issue if it can help us protect you?"

"He's right," Sasha agreed with him, "if there is a thing that mom taught me, is that it pays to always be prepared and have anything you may need, should problem arise."

"That's my girl…" Felicia felt a tear of commotion.

"Plus, those guards promised to watch over them and give them back as soon as we're done, did they?" Amelia nodded, still feeling uneasy that Yamato wasn't with her.

"Quiet, in the back," James warned them as the group kept following lady Olivia, as he started to hear a chorus of angelic-like voices singing, as the group marched among tall marble columns with decorative snakes coiled around them, blue coral sprouting from their top. Windows of stained glass, like those of a church, enlightened the vast room and the carpet over which they were following lady Olivia while all around them newts in heavy armors and armed with axes and metal shields stood on guard.

And at the other end of the room-

"May I present to you," Lady Olivia said as she bowed, moving to the side so free the path to the humans and the frogs, "Andrias Leviathan, Lord of Amphibia. Peacekeeper of a Thousand Years and the First of his Name."

The six humans and their frog families (minus Felicia) all gasped once again as they finally saw Amphibia's ruler, their heart sinking at the sight of the giant light blue newt sitting on a coral-made throne, Yunan and Headmaster Albert on both sides. King Andrias was stocky and muscular, with a long white beard and hair, large wrinkles visible under his pale-yellow eyes, and clad in a brownish-purple metal suit of armor, shell-shaped pauldrons over his shoulders and over his head, a three-pointed crown made of bone or some unknown material. The king's giant dimensions, his sitting position, and the light coming from a large stained glass behind him, all contributed to exacerbate the group's feeling of smallness and insignificance.

As the giant newt glared at them, like he wasn't acknowledging their presence, James bent on one of his knees, quickly followed by everyone else. Inside, he felt confusion, concern, and surprise, as he prepared for the king to address them. This wasn't nervousness alone: under Royal etiquette rules, at least on the United Kingdom, no one could speak before the sovereign.

And then, the giant newt king spoke.

"Greeting, you… otherworldly creatures," the king spoke in an authoritative, yet kind tone of voice, just like one of the kings from Marcy's videogame whenever he met with the players adventurers. "General Yunan and Headmaster Albert reported to me that you were quite helpful in our efforts to repel the Barbari-Ants infestation from our city. And, from what the general told me, you already accomplished so much ever since you arrived here."

"Great king," James spoke, summoning all his willpower and trying not to freak out thinking about how he was talking to a real king. "My name is James Blueingham, citizen of the United Kingdom of England, Scotland and Galles, loyal subject of King Edward the Ninth, sovereign of the British throne and all the nations of the Commonwealth." He said, lady Olivia making a thoughtful expression at that, "And these are my friends and companions, Jacob Olivier Matthews and Amelia Priscilla Matthews, Sasha Elizabeth Waybright, Anne Savisa Boonchuy and Marcy Regina Wu. We are people from Earth, and we come in peace."

"Earth, huh?" The King said as he raised an eyebrow, like he had already heard that name before. "Well, welcome to Newtopia brave explorers. It's so nice to meet and know everyone of you, after all these months."

"Wait!" Yunan gasped, turning head to look at her sovereign. "Your majesty…does that mean… that you knew already? Even before I reported about them?"

"Of course I knew." The King smiled, looking to his guards and snapping his fingers. "Bring it here!"

The humans and the frogs stood there, as two guards saluted and rushed outside, returning a few minutes later, carrying together a small pad of red color, and lying on the pad...

"Hey, that's my shoe!" Anne gasped, recognizing her lost right foot sneaker.

"So, you confirm it is yours?" Andrias chuckled, as he gave a sign to the guards to bring it closer. "Do not worry, I'll give it back to you, for rightfully it belongs to you. From the moment it arrived, we knew that otherworldly creatures had come to our kingdom."

"I guess I should thank Grimsey as soon as we see him again," Sasha smiled, thinking back to him.

"Still, I see you are not alone," the giant newt king said, now looking over Hop Pop, the farmer frog shivering as she knelt. "Who are you, and what is your connection to the…humans?"

"M-my king," Hop Pop stuttered, "My name is Hopediah Plantar, from Wartwood, and these are my grandchildren, Sprig and Polly. We…we were among the first to meet with them, and I offered them a place to stay and live while we waited for the passage to thaw. I know how it may sound, but-"

"Quite a nice story of found family, I see." Andrias then turned head and looked at Felicia. "And what about you? You seem…oddly familiar."

"Indeed, that's because this is not our first meeting, Your Majesty." The adventurer turned tea expert replied, "We already met… many years ago. It was the Celebration for Duke Anybes's youngest son ascendant among Newtopia's nobility, I came there as the plus one of Baron Shyver."

"The plus one of- no way," the king gasped, as he finally remembered that day, and realized who he was addressing. "Felis the Red, is that you?"

"Felis the Red?" One of the guards repeated with a mocking tone, only to be slapped by one of their colleagues.

"The renown adventurer, you idiot!"

"Indeed, your majesty!"

"I thought you were dead." The King confessed, "It has been years since news came of you, so many people assumed you-"

"No, I had only retired, to a peaceful life and focus on the upbringing of my own daughter." She motioned at Ivy, next to her, "However, after coming in contact with Sasha, I decided to un-retire to assist her at best of my ability and assure that she and her friends could find a way back…to their world."

"And you?" Andrias now looked over Maddie, the spellcaster frog looking back at him.

"My name is Maddie Flour, and I am Marcy's best friend and adoptive sister. I taught her everything I know about the art… of casting spells."

"A spellcaster?!" One of the guards yelled aloud, starting to march in her direction. "Let me kill her where she stands!"

"Don't you dare!" Amelia quickly put herself on the guard's path, ready to defend Maddie even barehanded if needed, while Marcy and Sasha moved in front of the young frog.

"Sergeant Ayn," General Yunan moved in, Headmaster Albert to her side in a rare moment of cooperation.

"Would you please explain to me the reason why you seem so hell-bent on murdering an innocent child?"

"She's a spellcaster, she admitted it herself!" He said, before looking at the leaders of the Newtopia Army and Night Guard, with a sneer, "And the Royal Guards doesn't obey you peasant bumpkins of the Army, not you unrefined jerks of the Night Guard. Our clearance-"

"While looked down, magic in itself is not illegal." Andrias interrupted them, glaring to his own guard with a hardened expression, mentally cursing his overzealous underling. "Only some spells, who were said to be dangerous, were outlawed: I know, because I was there when they were written."

As the group focused on the king, Maddie felt a warmth emotion coming from inside, as the king himself choose to defend her and her magic. Could it possibly be that… she may had found another ally in her quest?

"Moreover, it's been centuries since the last recognized magic user of Amphibia disappeared, so even our own knowledge of magic itself had been lost. The fact that such a young and…promising frog had managed to learn how to use it with such versatility and creativity speaks great lengths of her abilities."

"But… she's a spellcaster!" the guard once again tried to argue, still using the same argument as before.

"She is my guest," Andrias retorted, already bored of this conversation. "And as such, she's under my protection for as long as I'll say so. Moreover, while the Royal Guards may not answer to the Army or the Night Guard, you are still bound by your Oath to serve and protect the monarch of Amphibia, to carry on their orders and enforce their decisions. My orders and my decisions." The giant King reminded, reasserting his own authority. "Leave us and tell Captain Chevellie that I wish to speak with them later about…the discipline of their subordinates."

The lonely guard freeze for a second, as she felt the glares of their own comrades focus onto them, and she gritted her teeth, saluting her king and walking out of the room, but not before throwing yet another poisonous glance to Maddie, the spellcaster frog replying with a look of challenge.

"Lady Flour, please allow me to apologize for such…unjustifiable incident. "The old King spoke with a tired expression, mentally wondering why he was surrounded by so many idiots. "It's been so long since Newtopia last saw amphibians able to wield the power of magic. Frog, to think that such knowledge could be replaced by ignorance and groundless rumors…"

"You…you know about the true meaning of magic, your majesty?" Maddie replied, genuinely impressed.

"I am old enough to have witnessed our last court wizard practice his spells in our gardens, I chatted with him, and he taught me a lot about the foundation of magic and the skill of preparing spell. "The newt king lied, trying not to think about that frog. "Would you believe that, once upon a time, magic was well known and respected? There were dozens of scholars who dedicated their lives to better understand the harmonious way magic connects with our world. And yet, after things…changed, even our last fragment of magic's knowledge was lost forever, and facts ended up replaced by rumors and slander, so magic came to be seen as something dark and hideous, creating the bad reputation magic has now."

"I know, your majesty. I've been facing similar prejudices all my life now." Maddie replied with a scoff. "This is why I made my life mission to break these preconceptions and show to the whole Amphibia that magic is to help them, not hurt them."

"And I'll help her!" Marcy proudly announced. "Like Cynthia Coven always says in her books, 'no matter how hard a challenge may be, they're never insurmountable as long as you have friends'!"

"I…see." King Andrias answered, assuming a thoughtful expression again. "So, could you please tell me what kind of events and adventures have brought you here?"

(…)

Andrias Leviathan, King of Amphibia, listened with interest the "humans", as they were called, and their taken 'frog families' began to narrate the long series of events that had led all and six of them right in front of him, each one giving their own version and knowledge of specific events and shenanigans they went through, either in the Frog Valley or during their journey to Newtopia.

From what he had learned from Yunan's report, almost a month ago, these humans had greatly helped the local frogs in Wartwood and in the Valley as a whole, improved local infrastructures and communication routes, boosted local trading and business opportunities, hunted the dangerous wildlife, exposed the mayor's corruption, defended the city and its inhabitants against the Toads' prevarications and giant wildlife attacks. He too had been dumbstruck when Yunan showed him, to corroborate her report, the feathers taken from the bodies of the two herons that had attacked Wartwood… and were defeated by the humans in returns.

Herons, the biggest, most dangerous predators any Amphibian could ever face, who were known to lay destruction and massacre whenever they went… and these humans apparently had managed to defeat two, alongside other various ravenous creatures?

"It is…quite an interesting story," Adnrias said, as his mind started to analyze the events they had told him in search for something he could use to his and his Master' advantage. "Tough I am quite curious to know how you managed to end, from our world to ours."

"Oh, that was due to…" the one whose name was Anne spoke, "some kind of weird Music Box."

"Music Box?" The king repeated, as he struggled to hide the excitement shining in his eyes. For he knew the Box these humans were talking of, and the fact that apparently they came from Earth, the very last world who had gained his ancestor's attention before… the betrayal, made it even more ironic.

"I was some kind of strange box, with the image of a frog and several glowing gems on the lid," the blonde one (Sasha) kept explaining, unable to notice the hidden smugness in Andrias' mind. "We just wanted to give a look inside but, as we did, it released some kind of multicolor flash, and the next thing we know, we were here, in a swamp with giant mantises out for our blood."

"That's… quite interesting, I have to admit," headmaster Albert said, with a puzzled expression. "In my career as leader of the Night Guards, I have seen many artifacts of unknown origin, but I would have never imagined artifacts that could allow to travel among worlds were possible."

"I guess then we should help you to find a way to return home, safe and sound." Andrias nodded, as he started to work his way with words to sway these humans and their 'families' to work for him. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid there's little I can do without that 'Music Box' you were speaking about. I must assume you don't have it with you at this moment, right?"

"A-hem!" The muscular boy in blue armor, whose name was Jacob, make a smug expression as he dropped his backpack on the ground, while 'James' went to help him. "Actually… we do!"

Andrias' heart sank, as the two humans pulled 'something' from the backpack, removing a couple of sheets to reveal the Calamity Box, in all its shining glory, just like he had seen it for the last time, almost a millennia before.

It is it, Andrias thought with a stunned expression, it's the Calamity Box. After a thousand of years, it had finally returned to its rightful place!

"I-I have never seen such an object like this before," Lady Olivia, who had been passively listening to the conversation, said as she glanced over the Box. "General Yunan, Headmaster Albert, maybe do you have some idea of his origins?"

"Well, the craftmanship is obliviously Amphibian, that I can guarantee," Albert spoke as well, "Yet, it is much, much superior to anything else I may have seen before."

"It's the Calamity Box."

Yunan, Albert, Olivia and even a handful of guards all turned head and focused on their king, as Andrias began to explain. Even the six humans, and their families, hearing that name, began to listen very closely.

"The Box is…or rather was, one of our most important and precious artifacts of the past, thousands of years old." The Newt king began to narrate, "You see, long time ago, during Amphibia's golden age, my ancestors used it to visit completely different worlds. They were peaceful explorers, scientists, driven by their thirst of knowledge and spirit of adventure. Yet, at one point, it was lost, and with it, we lost our splendor."

Just like it said in Hop Pop's book, Marcy realized.

"Can I, see it closer?" Andrias asked, as Jacob and James passed the Box to Anne, the human girl walking toward Andrias and offering it, as the giant Newt couldn't hide his own trepidation.

The Box was back. The glory and prosperity that she had stolen, were once again their. And now, they could resume-

"Hmmm," Andrias murmured as he put on a pair of colorful glasses to get a better look, and felt his own enthusiasm drop suddenly as he realized that the Box's gems were gray and dull, completely empty and devoid of their powerful energy. Yet, as he kept looking at it, he felt shock surge within him once again, as he noticed some…oddities.

The gems were not three, they were six! He knew that the gems on the lid were the ones he already knew, Strength, Heart, and Wit, so… where did these other three come from?

"Something's wrong, sire?" Lady Olivia asked, noticing the worry on the King's face.

"It's nothing, just… the gems are all gray."

"Yes, we noticed that too." Marcy explained, "Apparently, during our arrival in Amphibia, the gem's energy was released and imbued into… new containers. That is, inside our bodies."

"Your bodies?" Headmaster Albert could barely register that, while Andrias' eyes widened. Did they know?

"Guys, show them!" James nodded, as Marcy, Anne, Sasha, and Jacob took a further step forward, mentally repeating the mantras as they focused, with their eyes closed, letting the Calamity powers inside them resurge in all their glory. The remaining Royal Guards tensed; Lady Olivia's expression turned into a surprised frown. Headmaster Albert's eyes widened, and his mouth opened full, while Yunan gazed with morbid curiosity over the effect of the human's powers, their families and accompaniers unfazed expressions a clear hint this wasn't the first time they had seen such a scene.

For Andrias, the sight of not one, but four humans activating their Calamity powers at once was both amazing… and disappointing. Ever since he had proof that otherworldly beings had arrived in Amphibia, he had done everything in his power to follow his Master's directive, to make sure the new 'holders of the Gems' could never figure out the true nature of their powers, nor how to activate them. He had even asked a disillusioned Night Guard captain to fake his own death and build a phony cult of Olm adorers, just to remove any written testimonies about the Gems, their history, and their nature, so when they would arrive, they would find nothing that could compromise his mission.

Yet, somehow, not only had these 'humans' managed to obtain some of this knowledge in the months that had passed before today, but some of them had also managed to activate their powers, compromising any attempt Andrias had been working on to keep them in the dark before he even had a chance to implement them. All the work he had done so far, in his master's name, wasted.

But this wasn't the worst part,

As Andrias' eyes moved onto Jacob, and saw the bright yellow light emerge from his body, he realized that the boy was wielding an energy spectrum completely new, completely unrelated by the previous three Gems he had known until now. And if the three more gems on the Box were of any indication…did that mean that his other two companions, too, had active Calamity Powers or would eventually do?

Three more gems…three new holders… what in the Frog's name was going on?

Was this her doing? Did she somehow manage to cause this?

Let's play it safe and find out what they know, the giant Newt king thought as new plans began to form in his mind.

"This is… quite an amazing power you have." The King said, doing the bets to sound like he weas genuinely surprised by what he was seeing, "So you claim that the Gems' powers somehow ended up inside your bodies, as you arrived here?"

"That's our best guess, yeah." Anne nodded, "I was the first, then Sasha, while Jacob and Marcy unlocked theirs on our way here. While James and Amelia haven't managed to do the same, I guess that's related to the way we initially activated our powers in the first place."

"You…know how to activate them?" Lady Olivia gasped, as murmur began to grow among the guards protecting the Throne room.

"Short version, you need to undergo some kind of emotional meltdown." Sasha nodded, still bitter at her memories of when she suffered it. "You need to feel many emotions at once, in a short period of time."

That's quite an aptly way to describe it, Andrias thought as he decided to push the issue further. "But then, I can assume that…the Herons…"

"General Yunan!" Headmaster Albert shouted, realizing the truth. "Does this mean you knew about this?"

"I did," the Army general replied, beginning to justify her actions. "I apologize for not telling you immediately, my king, but I had reasons to think that, if such information became known, it would have been a huge risk for Newtopia."

"I guess I can…let that slide," Andrias said as he struggled to appear understanding, while on the inside he was cursing the young general for having kept this information from him. So much time he could have used to prepare new plans was lost, all because his general was 'concerned' about this city's security.

"Also, during our journey we had the chance to learn more stuff about our powers, and the way they work." Marcy added, "And why Aiden is so obsessed with them."

"You mean…the other human that you affirm to have found in Amphibia, the one who manipulated Captain Grime and his men into attacking Wartwood so he could try and kill frogs and toads at the same time?" King Andrias summarized, recalling what Yunan had explained to him. "The one who was using strange machinery and creatures made of steel as his soldiers?"

"That's him."

Andrias gritted his teeth, as the humans and their 'families' began to explain once again, adding more and more details about this 'Aiden', and the more he learned, the more he didn't like it.

Apparently, this human had been lurking in Amphibia for a very long time (or so he claimed) and he had some stronghold in his kingdom and mechanical soldiers (just like the Frobots) who carried out his orders; he seemed to know too much about the Box for his liking. Plus, from what the humans were now revealing they found out in their journey, he seemed to have made some kind of 'alliance' with various toad bandit groups, gathering them together into a large army, and using them to attack various outposts and locations. The humans didn't know that, but in the last three months, there had been an awful large number of…discrepancies in the Royal archives: small towns and villages wiped out to the very last person, all metal objects stolen or stripped bare, a considerable number of Night Guard or Newtopia Army personnel having gone missing on their missions, reports from the Toad Armies lamenting 'unexpected losses', all adding on the nobles becoming more and more restless, the conflict among the various branches of Newtopia military growing out of proportion… was this human an active part in the unfolding chaos?

(…)

"Ah, yes." Aiden said, taking another bite of out his meal, as he watched Andrias' face micro-expressions with amused interest, enjoying his adversary's confusion. His would-be wives and courtesans couldn't possibly notice the smallest twitches on the newt's king face, but to him… he might as well be an open book.

"I have waited so long to see that look on your face Andrias. The cold realization that, just as you have barely started to play, the game has been going for a while already, and all the moves you were planning to do, have already been countered."

He looked his own chess set, the pieces set to move, while out from the window, the sound and smell of the Toads working day and night to accomplish his vision reached his ear and nostrils.

"The moment where you would realize that you have a real opponent in your chess game."

He glanced over the enemy's king piece, resembling Andrias, with an ominous glee.

"Your move."

(…)

"Your Majesty," Lady Olivia spoke, "if what they're saying his true, this 'Aiden' represent a threat unlike anything Amphibia has ever faced. Even discounting his claims over this 'Box', the fact that he managed to gather an army around him and being responsible for the razing of Ribbitvale means he is a danger to all of Amphibia. It should be our upmost propriety to capture him, destroy his fortress and disperse his army."

"I agree, sir!" Yunan immediately announced, "Please allow me to prepare an expedition to locate his fortress so we can destroy it! I can assure you we will bring you victory!"

"Like the way you did during the Sand Wars?" Headmaster Albert scoffed, "How many soldiers will lose their life this time? In a useless showoff all for the whim of a nonsensical glory hound who cares more about his personal glory, than follow a plan? Ridiculous, utter ridiculous! The Night Guards-"

"Oh, don't you ever attempt that, you old fool!" Yunan countered, angered by the headmaster accusations. "Maybe I may have been a glory-seeker, but I never ran away and hid in my office carousing all day while sending bunches of inexperienced newbies on dangerous missions without proper training, equipment, or leadership, like you and your so-called 'Night Council' do! I'm a leader for my soldiers, that's why I am always on the frontline!"

"Enough, both of you!" Felicia intervened, before the situation could degenerate more, putting herself between Yunan and Albert and stopping them from hitting each other, like two disobedient tadpoles. "I don't know what kind of issues may be among the Newtopia Army and the Night Guard, but sure you can discuss about it on another time."

"To tell the truth, I feel in complete agreement with lady Felis," Olivia grunted. "It's bad enough that the nobles are getting more and more restless, now-"

But before the quarrel could be stopped or anyone else could intervene, the door to the throne room opened once again, and in walked a newt with graying brown hair and dark aquamarine skin, dressed in an elegant black suit and vest with dark yellow decorations, spats on his feet and a handkerchief knotted around his neck. As he walked toward the king, he passed next to the humans and their families without even acknowledging them, like he didn't even see them.

"Duke Pyrforian," King Andrias said, his eyes narrowing on the noble.

"Your majesty," the duke replied, yet his tone wasn't full of reverence, but rather, of sarcasm. "On behalf of the Seven Families and their associates, I am here today as well to once again urge your highness to reconsider their decision on the current situation of our military forces, as well as allow us to be introduced to your young heir-"

"For the last time, I don't have an heir!" Andrias facepalmed, as he felt another migraine forming. "I don't know how such baseless rumors have spread, but-"

"Huh, what's going on?" Hop Pop asked, leaning toward Lady Olivia, tuning out the conversation starting the King and the Duke. "Who is that guy?"

"That's Duke Armus Pyrforian, current Duke of Yellowleaf, Master of the Silverblades Order… and the biggest, loudest annoyance I ever had to face on my duty!" The Royal Advisor confessed, thinking back on how many times she wished she could have thrown him out of the nearest window instead of being forced to listen to his rants every. Single. DAY! "He's the most high-ranking noble of Newtopia and the official leader of the nobles whenever they want something from the crown. No matter how many times the king shows his generosity, he always come back with new, outrageous demands. And ever since the rumor started going around that the King's heir had been spotted inspecting Amphibia's cities, he's been hell-bent to try and force the King to present him to them."

"Wait, the rumors?" James asked, "You mean that the King…currently has no heir?"

"But we heard they saw him, back in Les Flies!" Ivy nodded, "It was just a few days after we passed through there."

"You did?" Lady Olivia gasped for a second, making a mental note to investigate this weird coincidence later. "Anyway, while it's in my job details to keep such news reserved, I can guarantee you that the King doesn't have an heir, he doesn't have kids and he never was married. Frog, I think no one ever saw him being interested in someone else before!"

"Isn't that a little strange?" James mumbled. "I mean, I know that one of the cornerstones of a monarchy is that every king must sire at least one heir to succeed him, otherwise the throne will pass to their closest relative."

"Believe me, this has always been one of the strongest arguments among the nobles and local population, ever since I was born!" Lady Olivia shrugged, as in the background, the argument between the King and the Duke started to become 'heated'. "The King has no direct heir, nor does he have any living family relative who the throne may pass to. So many noble families have tried, and they still do, to convince him to 'adopt' one of their scions, or marry one of their ladies, or even just to win his favor in the hope that, should something happen, they will become the next royal family. Yet, His Majesty the King seems not to care about them, nor about being heir-less."

"I understand now why the people keep worrying about it," James thought back to the story of The Sword in the Stone. "If such a scenario were to happen, the whole kingdom may fall on a violent civil war!"

"I know, and the King does too, yet he doesn't seem to care. I guess either he's quite confidant nothing will happen to him…or he knows something that we don't know."

"You think-?" Felicia gasped, realizing the implication that lady Olivia was making.

"I am the First Royal Advisor, the King's closest confidant and assistant. It is not within my authority to judge, nor to discuss the King's word. If he says he doesn't have an heir, I'll believe it, no matter what. However, should it turn out that he really does have an heir, and that he kept him a secret from everyone, to protect him… well, that would explain many of his decisions, just hypothetically."

"-can't stand and watch while Newtopia is on the brink of defeat and humiliation!" The Duke yelled, "The toads no longer respect our authority, and they're one step away from rebelling against us! The city's defenses are old and worn-out, and we don't have enough money nor resources to rebuild them! Our own soldiers are a bunch of good-for-nothing's plebeians-"

"Hey!" Yunan and Albert yelled at the same time, only to grimace as they realized that.

"-who can't even repel the siege that our beautiful city is suffering by the hand of a Barbari-Ants nest, according to what my sources reports me!"

"Huh, Duke Pyrforian?" The King replied, "I guess your 'sources' are a bit outdated: the Barbari-Ants threat to our city…is gone."

"Say what?!"

"It's true." Lady Olivia nodded, giving a signal and having a couple of guards walk back, bringing the cut-off Barbari-Ant head that Yunan had brought to prove their victory, showing off to the duke. "Maybe you didn't realized, but when you barged inside, without even following the proper procedure," she said in a tense, livid tone of voice, "our Majesty was officially thanking our esteemed guest, who according to what both general Yunan and Headmaster Albert reported, were pivotal into achieving our victory."

It was then that the Duke turned around, and saw the humans for the first time, his eyes widening in horror and almost losing his balance.

"W-what in Frog's name are these… beasts?!"

"These 'humans' as they're called," the king said, a scolding expression on his face, "helped our garrison to protect the city by repelling the Barbari-Ants infestation, and they are also my guests. To insult them, it means to insult me."

"You heard him?" Jacob said, a smug smile on his face as the duke newt could only gritter his teeth in irritation.

"Anyway," the king now looked back at the humans, his face expression becoming kinder, and his lips twitching into a large smile, "back to business. As much I would love to help you return home immediately, most of our knowledge about the Box had been lost to time, and it could take a while to find out the info we need to reactivate it. This will require study and search from the deepest section of the Royal Archives. Give us a few days to work with what information we have, and as soon as we'll have enough, we shall reconvene and set a glorious plan in motion."

"Actually…" Marcy raised her hand in trepidation. "Maybe we could help?"

"Yeah!" Amelia quickly agreed. "Even if the books are all written in those ol' runes, we can help to translate them!"

"Wait, you can read and translate ancient Amphibian runes?" Lady Olivia said, voicing the sentiments that king Andrias was feeling, as he felt a vein pop in his brain.

"We do," James happily nodded, as Andrias felt his heart sink even lower. Frog, this was bad.

"On the way here, we found some old texts that I used as reference to reverse-elaborate the key for translating Amphibian runes into current language." Marcy continued, gaining the attention of Yunan, Albert and the Duke. "I still have it in my journal, but I can easily read them even without it!"

"We all can do it," Anne nodded, "though only Marcy, Maddie and James so far can do it without her notes. Still, if we coordinate ourselves and share our tasks, we could do it much easier!"

"That's indeed… a wonderful news." Andrias smiled even more, to try to hide his grimace. "Still, that would not be for now. You had a long journey behind you, so it would be better if you have proper rest and relax. Allow me to invite you to reside in my castle, for as long as you'll need."

"No way, we're going to live in a castle?" Sasha brightened up, positively impressed by the news.

"And we're going to be guest of a real king?!" Marcy gleamed up even more, pure, unfiltered excitement burning bright in her eyes. "Awesome!"

"What? My king, that's preposterous!" The Duke yelled again, clearly unable to assimilate the idea. "Such 'creatures' deeds would warrant them a place to stay in the castle itself? And these…peasants too?" He sneered again, looking over Hop Pop, Felicia and the kids. "I refuse to acknowledge this!"

"Hey!"

"That was rude!"

"I'll be watching you, old fart!"

"Now, now, Duke Pyrforian," Andrias retorted, feeling her right eye twitch as, once again, his plan on verge of being ruined by someone acting without his consent. "While I can understand your… opinion on the matter, this is not your decision to make. Thus, unless you have something else you need to speak about? Something that is strictly related to Newtopia or the other noble families…"

"You don't scare me, your majesty." The other newt smiled evilly, clearly unafraid to face his own sovereign. "You may be our king, but your word is not absolute. If words were to spread that you allowed such filthy creatures and a bunch of plebeians walk into the sacred halls of the castle and live inside its walls, all for a whim, all the noble houses of Newtopia would be outraged! This is not Snarlburg or Ribbitvale, this is Newtopia, the city of the Newts! Built by the Newts, for the Newts, and only for the Newts." He once again glared evilly at the frogs in the group, Felicia having to focus and concentrate on calming herself to not walk up to him and remove any chance he may have for future new children.

"What did I say?" Jacob whispered in anger to Sasha. "Racist assholes."

"Maddie, are you sure I can't…?"

"No, Marcy. Even if he is the son of a slug, his words alone are not reason enough to warrant a curse on him. Though I do admit I feel tempted myself…"

"For this reason, I would recommend your Majesty to reconsider their decision." The duke continued, a smug expression on his face while the King could only glare back in anger. "Unless of course you think you can make do without our support in the upcoming Kingdom's Council."

"What's that?" Anne asked in a low whisper.

"A meeting between the King, the Nobles and representatives of the other social strata from other regions of the kingdom." Lady Olivia explained, "They meet to discuss with the King about important matters of state, such as taxation, management of our outer regions, civil unrest, and security."

"So, they're like a Parliament?" Asked James, thinking back to the Whigs and Tories back home.

"Not sure about that comparison," the Royal Advisor muttered. "The thing is, in the last few decades, the main seven noble families of Newtopia started to band together and use their collective weight plus every trick in the book to prevent, or at least delay, registration of many reform laws to weaken the King's power and authority. Ten years ago, the King himself was forced to allow them to raise their own troops and small armies, out of protest that 'they couldn't rely on Newtopia's protection anymore'."

"A shameful day for Newtopia's honor." Yunan nodded in embarrassment, her mind drifting back when she heard the news the first time. She was only a cadet at that time…

"Why can't the King stand his ground and refuse?" Marcy asked, genuinely irritated by such blatant 'classic villainous nobles blackmail' "I mean, how bad would the consequences be?"

"On several occasions, they've been able to paralyze the government to such a degree that the kingdom itself would have suffered serious drawbacks, had the deadlock lasted for more than a few days." Lady Olivia said with a serious tone, "That's one of my main jobs as Royal advisor: to keep some appeased so they can turn against the others to prevent them from joining forces again. And unfortunately… House Yellowleaf is an important ally on our current plans, one we cannot afford to lose."

"Fine," the king said as he mentally imagined the duke tortured and executed in countless brutal ways for having thrown a wrench in his plan to get the six new Calamity holders under his thumb as soon as possible by inviting them (and their 'families') in his castle. "However, I'm still going to provide a place to stay and rest for all of them. In fact…" he turned around, once again looking at the six humans and their friends and families. "I'll have the best suite at the Hemisphere Hotel booked for you, my treat."

"Hemisphere Hotel?" Hop Pop repeated.

"That's the most luxurious hotel of Newtopia!" Felicia gasped, remembering about it. "I heard that even the cheapest room are up to ten golden coins at day!"

"As I said, it will be my treat to make sure you're receiving the best hospitality and care that our beautiful city can provide you. That is," he glared at the duke, "if House Yellowleaf or someone else isn't going to make a ruckus once again."

"Why should we?" Duke Pyrforian replied, satisfied enough of his victory. "If your majesty wants to spend money just to give a group of travelers the most expensive suite of Newtopia, that's your treat. After all, is not like House Leviathan had always been short on cash."

"That reminds me," The king added, taking something off and presenting it to Sasha. "Please, take this."

The blonde human's eyes almost swell as she recognized the item the King was handing them right now. While it has been months ever since she last saw one, she immediately recognized the golden credit card, with King Andrias's face on both sides and the digits 8462 2170, divided by the Amphibia's symbol, in the middle.

"This is the Royal Credit Card! It will grant you with a virtually unlimited amount of money for everything you and your family may need."

A credit card with unlimited money? Sasha's brain shouted, as she, Anne and Amelia looked at it with greedy eyes. This is, like, my third greatest fantasy ever!

"Be safe with this still." The King admonished them, "Wars have been waged for less."

"Do not worry, your highness!" Hop Pop immediately replied, taking the Royal Credit and pulling it into one of his jacket's pockets. "I promise you; I'll never lose sight of it!"

"Huh, mister Plantar?" Maddie warned him, as she gave him back the Royal Credit card, the old farmer realizing the pocket he had put it had a rip on the inside.

"Oh, thank you!"

"Plebs," Duke Pyrforian once again snorted, yet taking note on the king's strange interest on these strange creatures and their companions. What kind of secret did they held, for the king to be willing to loan them their most precious artifact?

Surely, this was going to warrant further investigation.

"Whoa, ho, ho, ho!" Sprig said in excitement, "We get to explore Newtopia, and we also have unlimited money to do it?! This is a dream come true! Onward, family! Time to see what Newtopia has to offer! Guys, are you coming?"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Anne happily replied.

(…)

To Felicia's credit, the exterior of Hemisphere Hotel did live up to everyone's expectations. The hotel, located in Newtopia's 'business district,' was a tall, six-story red brick building with numerous glass walls (many of them with shell-shaped balconies), each representing a room. A long colorful frieze with decorations representing sea animals ran along the top, connecting to a tall semi-circular tower, a large shell-shaped emblem and a giant golden-colored 'H' that was the hotel's symbol, other coral-based decorations all around.

The suite that King Andrias had assigned to them was perhaps the most spacious, bright, finely equipped and decorated room they had ever seen.

"This suite is awesome!" Sasha said with wide eyes, as she kept gazing over the luxuries surrounding her. "Check it out, they have a giant shower, a jacuzzi, a small sauna-"

"I know, it's amazing!" Anne, who like her enjoyed the chance of proper self-care, nodded.

"Wow… it's almost better than the room Wally's dad gave us, at Ribbitvale." Amelia walked up to the mirror and looked outside, marveled at the sight. "Look, we can see the Castle from here!"

"And we don't have to pay for anything!" Hop Pop sat down on one bed with a satisfied expression, holding the Royal Credit Card on his hands. "All thanks to this little beauty!"

"I wish someone had snapped a photo of the face that newt at the entrance did when Hop Pop showed him the credit card," Ivy snickered. "His face was red as a tomato."

"Well, I have to agree this is quite a nice place." Marcy murmured, her expression turning sad as she looked outside and saw the castle's silhouette in the distance. "Yet, to think we could have had our own room at the castle, if that duke didn't interfere-"

"I know, that blows." James nodded in agreement, still irritated by the memory of the so-called noble. "However, just because we are not allowed to stay at the castle doesn't mean we wouldn't be able to visit from time to time. And this place is quite comfortable the same.

"Alright, kids!" Felicia announced as she walked inside, Jacob behind her. "We moved Bessie, Liptea, Akitsu and the Fwagon on the hotel's impound area, with the guy working there guaranteeing they'll look after them."

"I hope they can do their job right!" Amelia grunted, still feeling uneasy about being separate by her flying companion. "I don't want Akitsu to feel mistreated."

"I'm quite sure they will take proper care of her." Maddie nodded, taking out some of her spell-making equipment to make sure they were ready to be used. "This place is supposed to have all comforts."

"Speaking of comforts…" Jacob, who had been silently thinking up to that moment, suddenly said. "Guys, do you remember how we brought all of our luggage up here?"

"Why, we didn't have to tire ourselves." Polly scoffed, "We used the elevator."

"That's the point!" The boy in armor, with a horned Viking hat on his head, exclaimed. "There was an elevator! And the hotel's brochure mentions an indoor Ferris wheel!"

"Your point?"

"Sasha, they also have electric power!" The boy shouted at full lungs, everyone gasping, their eyes widening as they suddenly realized that all the lights around the place weren't based on bugs or mushroom but were all powered by the marvelous fairy named Electricity. "We traveled all the way up here thinking that electricity didn't exist in Amphibia, at least until we introduced it after our meeting with the zapapedes. Yet, this place has working electricity to power up its stuff, and there could be others!"

"He's right!" Marcy reacted, taking her journal and scribbling trough her notes. "But then, if they do have electric devices working…"

"…that means that not only people in Newtopia knows about electric energy, but they understand the tech related and can produce it!" Sasha jerked in realization. "Frog, that makes sense!"

"But it opens more question than it answers!" Anne questioned, "If Amphibia already had technology, how's it that they never spread it outside Newtopia?"

"I have my own theory about it," Jacob hissed, thinking back to the spoiled and specist expression of Duke Pyrforian. "Nevertheless, I'll say this warrant some…investigation. Someone want to join me?"

"Me!" Sprig immediately volunteered. "Let's go and solve this mystery!"

"Here, take this!" Hop Pop passed Sprigt the Royal Credit Card, "You have no idea what kind of issues you may face, or what expense you may have."

"Hey, I do have my own money!" The human lamented, showing off a small purse tied to his armor.

"Better safe than sorry!"

Jacob rolled his eyes, as he and Sprig left the suite and started to walk through the hotel's hallway, searching for more clues about the mysterious presence of electric power within Newtopia. Yet, they had barely walked a few meters, that they ended up meeting…someone else.

"Ungh!" Grunted a newt as she struggled to haul a trolley full of luggage, boxes and various items. She had light orange skin with short brown hair, freckles on her cheeks and dark splotches on her tail. She was currently dressed in an aqua bellhop uniform, a circular hat over her head and yellow stripes and lining. "Four years of Newtopia University and a mountain of student debt for this?"

"Huh, sorry?"

"Oh, hi there!" Hearing Jacob's voice, the newt raised her head, her face expression turning from sadness to shock to forced servitude in a matter of seconds. "Bella the bellhop, at your service. Got the rest of your bags here!"

"Thanks, we appreciate that!" The human boy said, taking the trolley and moving it aside, Sprig helping him.

"Nice work, by the way."

"Happy to be helpful," Bella nodded, before clearing her throat. "So…how about a tip?"

"Sure thing!" Jacob nodded, taking out his coin purse and taking out one coin, dropping it on Bella's open hand. "Here, take this!"

Bella's face features once again turned into shock, her eyes widening and her mouth gaping, as she saw that the coin that Jacob had given her was not a copper one, but rather, a shiny, beautiful golden one.

Enough to pay off a whole month of her student debt in one go.

"Is this a golden coin?" The bellhop newt, as she felt tears of happiness beginning to drip from her eyes. "A real one?"

"Yeah, don't worry, I have enough of this stuff already." The human boy nodded, feeling happy at himself for his good deed. "To tell the truth, can you help us with a couple of things? I can pay!"

Bella's eyes shined again as she immediately straightened herself out. No matter how dangerous or hard the task would be, she already decided she would carry it out.

"At your service! What do you need me for?"

"Nothing too serious. Is only…I noticed something odd here at the Hotel, and I was hoping that someone could help me shed light on the matter. You work here so, maybe you know?"

"About what?"

"The electricity stuff," Sprig commented, "like the elevator, and the Ferris Wheel your brochure speaks off. Those needs electricity, right?"

"Huh, yeah?" Bella said, unsure of what their question was. "You see, it's-"

"We know what electric power is," Jacob countered. "Where we come from, it's quite mainstream stuff! The thing is, when we arrived in Amphibia in the first place we didn't see it, so we assumed you didn't have it. Do you have an electric central here in Newtopia?"

"I-I think so?"

"Do you know where is located? What kind of electricity-producing system they use? Are there other places who gets powered by it? How many-"

Oh frog, Jacob's sounding just like Marcy, Sprig thought in assumed silence, as the human boy continued to bombard the unfortunate bellhop with question she didn't knew how to answer.

Yet, the moment's mood was ruined when the hotel's main concierge, a tall newt with greying black hair and red-grey skin, dressed in a aqua valet uniform with a bright yellow bow tie, walked nearby and immediately noticed Bella chatting with Jacob, the trolley full of luggage seemingly abandoned near her.

"Miss Bella!" The concierge spoke with anger, the bellhop's eyes widening in fear and sweat beginning to run from her forehead as she recognized the voice. "What are you doing?"

"Huh, you see-"

"Not only neglecting your duties during working hours, but also harassing our esteemed guest? You know that this is absolutely-"

As the concierge continued to verbally assault Bella, not even giving her one chance to explain herself or solve the misunderstanding, Jacob felt a lot of empathy with her. A young person, buried with debts, working on a tiring and unsatisfying job to pay it back, with a bad boss that would reprimand them for anything, and force them to work long turns, like a slave?

That could be me, the human realized, should I be forced too to take a student loan and later to repay it.

"But sir, I can assure you-"

"No buts!" The concierge shut her off again, "You are fired!"

"Owww…"

Hearing that, Jacob's empathy turned into anger, realizing he and Sprig had just costed her job, wishing he could do something to help her-

Wait, I can!

"Excuse me?!" The boy took a stop forward, putting himself between Bella and her former boss, glaring at the latter with burning disagreement. "Did I hear that correctly? Did you just fire your best employee?"

"M-my best?"

"This bellhop," Jacob continued, pointing at Bella, "wasn't neglecting her duties nor was she disturbing us. In fact, we were the ones disturbing her, for we had some questions we wanted her to answer, and she went beyond her duty by taking the time to do so, even if that meant she would have less time to finish her job."

"Yeah!" Sprig joined in, having caught wind of what Jacob was doing, "She was helping some guests, that is, us, and when you misunderstand, you don't even give her the chance to explain herself and simply fire her on the spot?"

"By the way," Jacob now turned at Bella, the former bellhop surprised by the unexpected defense she was receiving. "How much were you paid here?"

"Thirty-five coppers a week… before taxes." She admitted.

"What? You can't live with such a misery! How about I hire you to be my assistant? I'll pay you five golden coins a week!"

"Wait, what?" The concierge gasped. "No way!"

"You're right, that's still too little!" Jacob replied. "I'll pay you one golden coin each day, what do you think? Would that be good for you?"

"It-it sure is." Bella murmured, making calculations in her head. One golden coin for day, thus seven golden pieces for week, converted in coppers, after taxes…

By the Olms, even if I'll be hired just for one month, not only I'll be able to pay off all my student debt in one go, but I'll also clear out my parents' mortgage and allow to cover for my sister's studies!

Bella had never believed in miracles ('magic is dead and miracles don't exist', that was a common sentence for her to say during lunch break, as she lamented over her fate) but right, she just felt like she had just been blessed by one.

"Ok then, here are five coins, your advance pay for the next five days!" The human boy shoved the golden pieces in her hands, as Bella and the concierge stared at with a numb expression. "Now, I understand today was quite hard on you, so just go home and take the rest of the day off! Meet me tomorrow morning, so we can discuss your new employment contract."

"YES SIR!" Bella yelled, her voice filled with cheerfulness as she zoomed away, leaving behind a happy Jacob, an amused Sprig and a shocked concierge.

"O-one golden coin for day?" The other newt said, falling on his knees. "That's more than I make!"

"Oh yeah, about that," Jacob turned around, his happy expression now turning into a scold, "I think I'd like to have a chat with your manager, so I can express my disapproval with the way you handle your employees."

"That's right!" Sprig joined in, "I think that His Majesty the King, who we happen to know personally, would be quite upset once he hears this happened."

This is what it means to have money and authority, Jacob felt his sense of pride inflate as she tuned out Sprig's voice, to protect the weak and defend them from the bullies, to use wealth to bring justice and equality rather than prevarication, just like King Andrias does…

"YOU FOOL!" Andrias screamed in pain, as his master proceeded to punish him through his own crown, "You useless, worthless, incompetent waste of air! How could you allow the situation to degenerate up to this point?!"

The large newt king took a deep breath as soon as the pain stopped, as he struggled to get back on his feet, a spherical robot of pitch-black metal towering before him, large tubes and wires connected to its back, robotic tentacles to support its weight, while multiple glowing orange eyes glared onto him.

The eyes of his master, the true supreme union of rulers of Amphibia, a collection of the greatest minds and intellect his world had ever seen, made immortal forever by the wonder of Amphibian technology.

The Core.

"M-my lord-"

"SILENCE!" The large machine roared once again as the crown reactivated, sending Andrias back on the floor, tears leaking from his eyes. "We have waited over a thousand years for the Box to be returned to us, only for you to mess up again! After your 'friend' caused all of this, we thought at least you would have learned!"

"I had no way to know they would be able to learn so much about the Box and the Gems so quickly!" Andrias replied, desperately trying to justify himself, "Nor that they would be able to activate their powers on their own. I did take precautions-"

"Your little mercenary's action was all for nothing! And now, the prophecy is on the brink of being accomplished! Why, Andrias? Why couldn't you carry our orders as we gave them?! To locate the gems, and to kill their holders!"

"We didn't know where they were! The item sent to us had no note, so we didn't know where it came from!" Andrias managed to get back on one of his knees. "And we didn't had the resources to search all of Amphibia. Moreover, we were expecting three gems, not six."

That managed to get the Core's attention, as the torture stopped, and the orange eyes seemed looked away, seemingly in thought.

"This, is concerning." The Core spoke again, or rather, one of the minds it absorbed did. "The words of the prophecy clearly started about three stars, so how's it they have doubled?"

"Maybe this is a hint that the prophecy has already been shattered?" Another voice spoke up, "Could these three new holders' presence means that the forecast of our possible defeat had been severed?"

"No, that's not possible. It must be one trick to try and steal the victory from our own hands!"

"ENOUGH!" Another voice, coming from the central eye, shouted, silencing all the others. A voice that Andrias remembered very well, even before he met the Core for the first time. "This is no time for idle speculations. While these unexpected discoveries are unsettling, we still have enough time and opportunity to twist the situation at our advantage, to severe the thread of the prophecy and finally accomplish our revenge." He stopped for a second, as the eyes once again focused on the King. "Andrias?"

"Yes, father?"

"Invite them to the castle. I don't care what trick you'll have to use or how many loopholes you'll have to abuse, I want these 'humans' in the castle. Watch over them, learn of their weaknesses and their secrets, gain their trust and use anything you can against them. Approach the new three holders, find out everything you can about them, and report it to us. Find out what they know about the Box and the Gem's powers, and make sure they can't expand that knowledge. If they ask for support for anything involving the Music Box, provide it. After the Gems will be recharged, it won't matter anyway."

"Y-yes, my Lord." Andrias muttered, new plans and deceits forming in his brain. "But… what about the other human? The one they say attacked Ribbitvale, whose name is 'Aiden'?"

"He's not worthy of our attention," the Core said, almost irritated by the question. "Even if there is another human loose on Amphibia, it is not of our concern. Let him lead those toads into raiding the settlements out of our city, once the gems will be recharged and our factories reactivate, we will crush him like an insect."

"But he-"

"SILENCE, YOU ANNOYING CHILD!" The voice of the Core raised of an octave, the king instinctively cowering in fear. "You may feel scared about him, but we surely are not. We are the Core; we have the power and the knowledge! We are the only thing that can restore our civilization to its former glory! And we are not afraid of a mere mortal!"

(…)

"A mere mortal," Prince Aiden of the Black Tower repeated, as he watched the conversation between the Newt King and his 'master', his meal finished by now as he gulped the last sip of his beverage. "That's the greatest mistake you and your kin have ever done with humankind, demon: one human is more than enough to destroy you all."

The Core was underestimating him, like Andrias had always done, and he would welcome this weakness of his enemy and take full advantage of it, building up his strength and power until he could strike and overwhelm his enemy with a single blow.

"In insight, there is one thing you Newts are superior to us."

He raised his gaze, and he focused on the latest additions to his tower's décor, Ruth Hasselback working silently to clean up the floor in fear as she struggled not to look at the disemboweled remains of more a dozen newts hanging over her, small bugs digging into what was left of their flesh, as they ran over their uniforms.

Their Night Guard uniforms.

"You are better at dying."

Deus Vult.