Return to Wartwood
It was late morning in Frog Valley. Everywhere, the peaceful and laborious frogs were already setting themselves for their daily duties. They were unaware that, from beyond the mountain range that separated the Valley from the rest of Amphibia, two flying creatures were carrying a bunch of old friends back to the town where everything began.
"Alright, Joe!" Marcy announced, pointing forward. "Wartwood's right in that direction! Keep your current speed, and we should arrive in ten minutes or less!"
"Tweet-tweet!"
"I can't believe we're almost back home!" Hop Pop sighed, taking a deep breath as both Joe and Akitsu lowered in altitude. "And how I missed the swamp air! The aroma of grass, a whisper of manure, and just a pinch of humidity. Do you feel that humidity, Sasha?"
"A pinch!" The blonde girl replied with an irritated tone as she sat just behind Marcy, noticing the effect the humidity had on her hair.
"It seems like yesterday that we just left for Newtopia, looking for some way to bring you guys back home." Ivy cooed, holding on her adoptive big sister's back. "I wonder how grandma's been doing until now? I have so many adventures to tell her!"
"You mean, beside the flock of giant owls that apparently had made their nests in the mountain surrounding the Valley, and that we had to fight through?" Amelia replied, Akitsu under her grunting as she recalled that part of the trip back.
"Or the gang of slavers we had to fight when we decided to stop at Yellowfrog?" Added Maddie, who until now had been sitting on Akitsu's lower abdomen.
"Or the mad cult in Sloapy Slone?" Hop Pop continued. "I remind you that I promised your mom I'd keep watch over to you, if she did the same with Sprig and Polly until we return."
"I told you I was sorry!" The young yellow frog indignantly replied.
"And what's this about all this stuff you insisted we had to carry with us, Hop-Pop?" Amelia pointed at two large bags, one on each flying mount, the bird and dragonfly exchanging a rare glance of complicity as they silently agreed they were too heavy. "Did you rob a bank while we were in Newtopia and now you want us to carry the loot to the farm so you can hide them?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" The old farmer scoffed. "These are just a few things our neighbors asked us to pick in Newtopia. A coral hand fitment for Stumpy, a romance novel for Mrs. Croaker-"
"You're lucky mom remembered, or you would have totally forgot and we'd be back empty-handed!"
"I would have never forgotten such an important thing!" Hop Pop countered, looking aside before admitting. "Probably."
"Bring! Brin-bon!"
"Akitsu says she understand, but she expects double apple rations tonight to make up for all the muscles aches she got carrying them up to here…"
"Tweet-tweet!"
"Come on Joe, you already ate this morning, you even got double ration of seeds for breakfast!"
(…)
Meanwhile in Wartwood, Mrs. Croaker was walking Archie, her little pet spider. It was then that the wind brought her the sound of dragonfly wings buzzing, the old frog turning her head to look upon the sky, as the shape of a dragonfly and a large bird, both carrying people and bags on their backs, appeared in sight.
"Hey, I know that dragonfly!" She then used her tongue to ring the bell just above the city's entrance, to alert everyone. "The Plantars are back! Get out here, everyone! It's the Plantars!"
Called by the sound of the bell, and Mrs. Croaker's words, everyone in Wartwood stopped what they were doing and gathered at the town's entrance. Frogs, toads and axolotls were cheering as Akitsu and the giant sparrow descended from the sky and landed among them, Sasha and Amelia being the first to jump down and receive everyone's welcome.
"Heya, folks-" Hop Pop announced as he jumped down as well, only for a certain light green frog with hair tied in a ponytail and dressed in a pink dress to slam into him and hug him dearly.
"Hoppy! I'm so happy to see you back, city boy!" She turned around and saw Sasha and Ivy, looking at her with heartfelt looks. "And Sash, Ivy! You have grown so much since we last saw each other!"
"Grandma!" Ivy joined the hug. "We have so many stories to tell you!"
"Everyone, please meet Joe Sparrow!" Marcy introduced her own flying companion, the large bird doing a cute bow as if Marcy was a friend of all living creatures, a few female frogs in the audience swooning as they saw it.
"Maddie!" A new voice called out, making Marcy's magical teacher of a friend and herself smile wildly as they saw a middle-aged baker frog with three tadpoles sitting in a box tied to his chest. "Marcy! You're back!"
"DAD!" Maddie didn't even try to hide how much relieved she felt and rushed toward them, the family holding together in a powerful emotional hug. "You're okay! Oh, you have no idea how worried I was about you."
"About us? What about you?" Lavender questioned.
"Yeah!" Rosemary added. "You were gone for so long!"
"Did you bring us some souvenirs from Newtopia, big sis?" Ginger questioned.
"Any luck finding a way back to your world?" Loggle asked as he looked at Amelia, the young samurai smiling as he did.
"Almost! We still don't have any clear way to do it, but we've found many serious hints and ideas to narrow down our research. And…" with a dramatic pause, the girl focused on herself. As she was repeating her mantra in her head, her hair and eyes turned into the glowing purple color of her Gem. Loggle and everyone else gasping in wonder as they gazed upon her. "Check out what I can do now!"
"Master is even cooler now!" Maddie's triplet sister said verbatim in awe.
Watching this unfold, Sasha could only click her tongue and say disapprovingly "Show off." Only then, she noticed Wally had approached her.
"Well, nice to see you again, Sasha! Buba-dee buba-dee bup. Haven't seen you for a long time, uh? Definitely didn't see you on your trip… because I had always been here, of course!"
"Whatever you say…Walliam." Sasha smiled as the fake vagrant began to laugh nervously as he walked away.
"Just simmer down now! Come on, simmer down." The loud voice of Toadstool announced the return of the formerly corrupt mayor, Toadie as always standing to his side. "I can understand you're all quite happy to see the Plantars are back, but… wait, it is just you?"
"Yeah!" Stumpy questioned. "Where is Anne? Did you lose her on the way back?"
"And what about Sprig and Polly?" Someone else questioned. "Or Bessie, by the way?"
"They're still all back in Newtopia, just like anyone of us who didn't come today." Sasha quickly replied, speaking aloud so everyone could hear her. "Yeah, I'm sorry to say this, but the reason why we have returned is not a mere social call. Not completely at least." She focused her gaze on Toadstool. "We need to talk with Grimsey, as well as everyone else who is involved with the city's security and defense. Mayor, if we can-"
"Say nothing more!" The toad nodded, understanding the hidden message behind Sasha's tone of voice. "Toadie, go fetch Captain Grime and tell him Sasha's back, and we need to talk immediately. Mrs. Croaker, shall you come with us? Better talk in my office."
"Right behind you!"
"Everyone else, please give miss Waybright and the others some space. I can understand you're all excited to see them again, but you can welcome them back and ask them about their journey after business hours."
"Oh! How about we all meet at my restaurant tonight?" Stumpy proposed. "Have a town dinner for the Plantars."
"We're in." Hop Pop nodded, already showing a hungry look on his face. "I can't wait for some authentic swamp cooking!"
"And I can't wait for that Newtopian coral hand fitment! Thanks for picking it up for me." The restaurant owner replied. "You did bring it back with you, right?"
"We did!" The old farmer announced, rummaging through one of the two bags until she found the item that Stumpy had requested, taking out and pulling into sight so everyone could see it. "Just like we brought everything else you all requested! You ought to thank Joe and Akitsu for carrying them on their back, all the way from Newtopia!"
"Brin-zin-zin!"
"Tweet-tweerp!"
"So, let me get this straight," Captain Grime, former gladiator of the Newtopia Colosseum and commander of the southern Toad Tower, now de-facto commander in chief of the recently renamed 'Frog Valley Militia' (formerly known as Warwtood militia, the rename was one of the first changes done a little after the humans had left, to symbolize how Wartwood was no longer alone), said as he sat down, having listened to the whole story. "You joined the Newtopia Army?"
"Well, not exactly joined, let's say we were… invited to do so. Jacob and I."
"And you trained under Yunan."
"Yes. Also, we found out there is still quite a following for your past career as gladiator, back in the city. Even our young general is into it, apparently."
"And while you were in there, you fought some kind of crazy cult called 'the Order of the Olms', who was hell-bent on destroying ancient books and blowing up palaces."
"The blowing up part came later. But yeah, sadly correct."
"And from what Marcy and her own friends in the Night Guard found out, turns out their leader was a freaking former Ranger captain himself?!"
"Captain Ernst, that was his name. From what Mars told me, they believed him to be dead in some mission a long time ago, only it was something he staged so he could create the identity of Goldmask and form the cult with no one the wiser."
"And then apparently, he joined forces with some oligarch faction led by Duke Pyrforian, and they attempted to pull a coup against the king?" This one was Toadstool, the mayor horrified to learn that, while the Valley had stood peaceful and productive, the whole nation had come this close to either a civil war or a violent change of government.
"We found ourselves right into the middle of it. The duke and his followers were many, and they were well-prepared too, yet they didn't have our powers nor our determination." The blonde human let a smirk of smugness blossom over her lips. "The coup failed, the rebel troops got defeated and the King's authority is once again unchallenged."
"And yet, both the cultists and the rebel nobles have managed to cause so much devastation and suffering to the city." Mrs. Croaker murmured, petting Archie while her good eye was focused on Sasha, listening to her story with calculative attention. "And you say Aiden was behind all of this?"
"That's the horrible truth we were forced to face. After his bombing of Newtopia, King Andrias himself told us it was only a distraction. For this reason, he gave us these order…
(…)
"… so, as you can understand, my dear friends, with the declaration of war upon Newtopia, our situation has turned dire once again." King Andrias said, his voice sounded tired and even a bit suffering. From where she was sitting, Marcy looked at him with worried eyes: what had happened to him? To cause him so much pain? "The damage Aiden's flying bombs have done to our city, while largely prevented and neutralized, caused further shock and paranoia among our citizens. Their fears and the chaos brought among our forces now reflect upon my authority: weakened. Moreover, while we still don't know the reason why he targeted those ruins-ugh!" he hissed with a grimace, a few Royal guards immediately approaching their sovereign.
"Your Majesty?!"
"J-just a little headache, Captain Ayn, nothing to worry about." The king apologized, touching his crown. "As I was saying, while we don't know the enemy's plans, we need to gather our loyal forces to protect our citizens. Unfortunately, as General Yunan and Headmaster Albert have already explained, both the Newtopia Army and the Night Guard forces are barely sufficient to protect our beloved city."
"The Newtopia Army's reduced to around half of their former force, while the Night Guard's overall manpower is less than one third of what it was once." Lady Olivia explained. "It may still be possible that the forces we sent up north may still be active and could rejoin us later, but without ways to get in contact with them, we have to assume they've already been destroyed or at least neutralized."
"What about the Navy?" Amelia questioned. "Or… the Royal Guards?"
"Our duty is to protect the King, we would betray our mission if we were to be deployed in the battlefield unless the King himself was to lead our troops." Captain Ayn shot the human's question down. "As for the Navy, while I do have to admit they're not the jokes we assumed for so long, I doubt they would be useful against an enemy whose main forces are only on the ground."
"This is why I asked you to come here today," King Andrias resumed his speech. "In order to defeat the threat against our nation, Newtopia once again needs the might of the Toad Army." He pointed to a large map of the lily pad-shaped continent where four crude drawings of towers indicated the position of each Toad Tower.
"As you can see, both the Northern Tower and the Eastern Tower's forces are quite close, the Easter Toad Army counting over seven-thousand toad soldiers while the Northern Army count over ten thousand soldiers. The Western Army's suffered a few losses already, yet they still wield over nine thousand toad troopers. Thus, if we were able to coordinate our own armed forces with the Toads, we could surround Aiden's Army and launch a full-blown counter-offensive from all sides, and with numerical superiority to boot."
"Then, what's the problem?" Jacob scratched his chin. "If you're the King, you can simply order their commanders to do so."
"The problem is, the loyalty of the Toads onto the King's had long since been put into question." Lady Olivia explained. "Even before you six arrived in our world, the lack of an unified commander in chief of Newtopia's Armed forces also deprived us of a way to keep each toad army in check, letting them grow increasingly independent and corrupt. Even now, the King's authority over's them is mostly formal, and if tested, it could lead to an armed rebellion. But… that's not the worse news."
"And what is, then?" Sasha asked.
"We have received some… worrying reports from a few of our spies, deployed into the northern region." King Andrias explained, taking out his glasses and wearing them as he scrolled through the paper reports. "Rumors of long ships made of metal scurrying through the Northern Sea, but especially close to the Blood Swamp and the Outskirts. Ships bigger than anything else our people had ever seen before, all carrying the same horrid flag that our enemy's forces wield. We think there is a reason for that."
"And what would that be?" Anne asked.
King Andrias and Lady Olivia looked at each other.
"Barrel's Warhammer."
"A warhammer?" Jacob questioned, looking back at his own weapon. "Why would someone vicious as Aiden waste time to look for a single warhammer?"
"This one is no mere warhammer, Ser Jacob." The Royal Advisor explained. "It's the weapon of the legendary toad warrior, Barrel the Brave, the greatest hero of the Toads and one of the most legendary fighters in Amphibia's history. But this weapon isn't the principal reason as to why Barrel is remembered so fondly, however. It was his never-ending kindness and generosity, his indestructible sense of loyalty and the great courage with which he fought, all over the continent. Either to protect small towns and communities from large monsters or other threats."
Lady Olivia didn't notice, nor did anyone else, but as she described the positive traits associated with Barrel, King Andrias looked aside with an irked expression, muttering something under his breath.
"Barrel gave his life defending a helpless village from a terrifying beast known as the Narwhal Worm, and the legend says that this same beast guards his hammer to this very day."
Hearing that, Jacob's eyes shined, and so did Marcy's. Both humans realizing this looked just like the perfect setup for a classic roleplay quest, the kind of adventure that would make you fight some large monster boss and, after succeeding, reward you with a legendary weapon and a huge pile of gold.
"We don't know if the legend is true," King Andrias admonished, taking over the conversation. "However, the Toads hold the story in high regard. It was often said that, if a Toad were brave enough to successfully challenge the Narwhal Worm and retrieve the legendary Warhammer, it would become the true leader of all Toads. Until now, we haven't paid too much attention to such rumours, however…"
"You fear that, if the legend is true and Aiden successfully reclaims the Warhammer, he could use it to convince all Toads to join him." Sasha gasped, her brain cells connecting all dots. "Push the Toad Army to renege on its alliance to Newtopia and switch sides, fighting under his banners!"
"And in the current state our own armed forces and defenses are, if such overturning of alliances was to happen, we would have virtually lost the war already." The King admitted. "This is why we must make sure that such an outcome never comes to pass and reaffirm the Toad's loyalty to Newtopia and their King by locating and retrieving Barrel's Warhammer before that happens."
(…)
"R-retrieve Barrel's Warhammer?!" Captain Grime gasped, a look of mixed horror and shock on his face. "That's… surely a dangerous mission. From what I heard, only stupid newbies or fearless fools would dare to take such a mission!"
"Indeed!" Toadstool nodded. "Even I, when I was a tadpole, heard the story of when Barrel fought the Narwhal Worm. It is said the beast is so big, that it could dwarf even the largest settlement in the Valley."
"We won't be rushing in without any plans or preparations, of course." The blonde human scoffed. "Besides, before even going worm-hunting, the King wants us to go and meet with the rest of the Toad Army leaders, in the Northern Tower. And… he want the former Captain of the Southern Toad Tower to come with us, to try and win their support without needing to retrieve the warhammer first."
"You mean… me?!" Grime shook his head in denial. "No way. I already have too much to do here, making sure everyone is safe and protected. Besides, I don't know if you've heard, but a little after you left, Aiden came back and paid us a new visit."
"He did?" Now it was Sasha's turn to be shocked. "What has he done? What did he say? Is everyone safe?!"
"They are, at least, physically." Mrs. Croaker replied. "But we've all been on the edge for two weeks after that. You should ask Farine, he was the one who Aiden visited…"
(…)
"That psycho… he was really here?!" After hearing her father's story, Maddie's voice was now filled with anger. The testimony confirming that Aiden had dared to break into her own house and threaten her little sisters. Marcy was pale in the face as she tried to keep her own nerves in check. "In our home?!"
"He was." The bread maker frog replied with a cold tone. "Even worse, I knew that Monroe wasn't a good fellow, even before Sylvia rejected him, but to think he would do something as vile as sell himself to him… had I gotten a chance to apprehend him, I'd shown him what I think of him now!" His hands moved on their own, like they were trying to strangle something invisible.
"But, you said he healed you arm, right?" Marcy questioned, still thinking about that detail in Farine's story. "He hit you with some kind of multi-color light-"
"And now I've learned how it feels to be a bun cooking in the oven, yeah. At first I thought he was simply going to kill me in front of the girls, but-"
"That makes no sense!" Maddie yelled once again. "He hates us, he himself said so back during Hop Pop's Frog of the Year party! And ever since we faced him, again and again, he never showed any sign of repentance for what he has done! Why would someone like him try to heal you, rather than simply put you out of your misery?"
"That's what I asked him. And he told me it was some kind of early repayment… for what he would do to you."
Maddie hissed again, her mind starting to put together her memories in Newtopia, anything she could reconnect with Aiden, through what her father had been telling her. Any words Aiden had said to her… all his expressions… was he just teasing her, or was there some reason why he seemed so interested in her?
"I'm going to come up with new horrific spell and curses to hex him with! Marcy, do you agree?"
"Huh? Sorry Maddie, I was still thinking about the multi-color light your dad said Aiden used to heal his broken arm. Don't you think that… maybe…" she said, raising her hand and letting out a small glow of bright green Calamity energy, Farine gasping as he saw it.
"That's the same color, I mean, of them! But… is that your Calamity Energy, Marcy? You managed to activate it?"
"Yeah, during the trip to Newtopia, Jacob and I had a… discussion, and we ended up activating both our powers. It's a long story."
"Oh well, you do plan to stay with us for today, don't you?" Farine smiled, and for a moment, all of his worries and paranoia seemed to disappear. "Besides, with Amelia watching over the triplets, we have a lot of time to catch up…"
(…)
(…)
"-and then we stabbed it, like this!" Amelia said as she enthusiastically narrated to the Flour's Triplets about their adventure inside the sphere from the Valley of Illusion, making an over the top 'swooshing' sound with her mouth and reenacting the final attack against the Gate Guardian.
"Once we did it, the illusion broke, and we reawakened in the real world. And I still got my new powers!" Amelia kept narrating her adventures while Rosemary, Ginger and Lavender listened, their eyes filled with excitement.
"Wow, that's so cool! You were imprisoned inside your dream world, and you still destroyed it to get free?"
"It hurt; I won't lie. But if I wanted to free myself, it had to be done. Besides, it's not like I can't be awesome in real life too." The samurai girl nodded. "However, I've been the only one talking so far: what about you? Did you have some crazy adventure while we were away?"
"You mean beside that big meanie that came to scare Daddy?" Rosemary rolled her eyes, not realizing the perilous situation her family had been in.
"Well, one day Dad decided to bring us into the forest to see the ferret's hideout?" Ginger proposed. "I think that counts as an adventure, right?"
As the three sisters were deep in through trying to determine if going on a trekking trip across Wartwood's forest to see a potentially dangerous predator is, in fact, an adventure, Amelia was aghast.
"You went back to the ferrets' cave? Why?!" Amelia questioned. "Wasn't that the place where… you know, where…"
Once again, the human teenager was lost for words. No training ever taught her how to properly talk to tadpoles about their dead mother!
"Where Mom was taken away to be eaten? Yeah…" Lavender looked down with a sad expression, the other girls following suit, before the whole group was under a heavy (and to Amelia's case, awkward) atmosphere.
Trying to break the silence, the teen pretended to loudly cough before she continuing the conversation as if the last few seconds didn't happen. "As so, what did happen during that adventure?"
"Oh well, since Dad had a lot more of free time, because the bakery was closed, he decided to take us on a trekking trip!" Lavender happily answered, the sad sentiments evaporating away thanks to the happy memory. "He said that he wanted to show us something and that it was an important lesson for us to learn, and so he brought us to the ferret's cavern!"
"Yeah, but don't worry, we were far away enough from it!" As she sensed the human's apprehension, Ginger immediately tried to reassure her. "Dad gave us a spyglass to safely watch them from afar!"
"Ginger was so afraid she peed herself." Rosemarie said with a smirk, Lavender giggling to the comment while Ginger's face went heavily red. Was it because it was a shameful revelation or was she angered by the false accusation, Amelia didn't know.
"No, I didn't!"
"Yes, you did!"
"Nuh uh!"
"Yuh uh!"
"Girls, please!" Amelia exclaimed calmly but firmly while clapping her hands "Focus on the story."
As her sisters grumbled, Lavender resumed narration in their steed.
"Dad told us that, even if it was a ferret who took Mom from us, it wasn't those ferrets, and so we shouldn't be angry at them for something they didn't do."
"And that even if they are still dangerous carnivores and that we should never ever be alone with them, they are still living creature that do all they can do to survive, and sadly that means doing bad thing to others sometimes." Rosemary continued, before adding. "But that isn't an excuse for us to hurt them because it's totally different!"
"And we wouldn't do that! Because those babies were really cute!" Ginger spoke in turn "The mommy ferret was taking care of her babies just like Dad did for us! Like a true ferret family!"
As the three tadpoles excitedly spoke between each other about how cute the ferrets were, Amelia was looking at them with a huge smile on her face. To teach them such a lesson and make it stick, Farine is sure a good dad Amelia thought to herself, before a comment from Rosemarie made the teen out of her mind.
"Hey, did you think we could befriend them soon?" The tadpole asked with a fin to her shin and the eyes full of wonder.
"You… you want to tame the ferrets?" Amelia asked, a little unsure if she should stop this way of thinking immediately or not.
"This is such a good idea, Rosemarie!" Lavender piped in, clearly excited by the prospect "We could be like Amelia and Akitsu!"
"That would be so cool!" Ginger mused. "The Terrible Three Flour Kunoichi Triplets and their inseparable companions, the White Ferrets of Hyber-porrea!"
"We could travel the whole world together! Fighting bad guys and bringing justice to people! And look cool and fight cool and making our own cool legend!" Rosemarie started to daydream wildly waving her arms around, but upon seeing Amelia's expression, she quickly caught up and added. "And of course, everyone would know about their cool master, Amelia of the Blade! Hero of Respect, and the Los Angeles Samurai!
"And don't forget her faithful companions!" Lavender said as well. "Akitsu the cute White Skies Dragonfly, and Yamato the ever-winning blade of Honor!"
Amelia chuckled as the trio of tadpoles began to cheer louder and louder, yet she herself couldn't help musing about the idea.
She imagined herself a bit older than she was now, but still wearing her cone hat and her samurai outfit, riding toward the sunset on Akitsu, Yamato in her right hand. The triplets (now full frogs) riding each one on their respective white ferret, dressed in kunoichi outfits. Rosemary holding a large bo staff on her back, Ginger carrying nunchaku, while Lavender held twin sai. And they all shared happy, eager expressions as they rode (or, Amelia's case, flew) towards new adventures and experiences.
Amelia knew, in her heart, that she wouldn't be able to stay here forever. After all, she had a family back in Los Angeles, and she wouldn't give it away for all the adventures she could get. Besides, she still had to finish her own education on Earth, and several other things she needed to take care of.
Yet… the image felt so beautiful, and it brought so much joy to her heart-
"Amelia and the Flour Triplets. It does have a nice ring around it, after all." The young samurai nodded, smiling, the warm, wet breeze of the swamp nuzzling through her hair…
(…)
"I can't believe it!" Sylvia gasped, as Ivy and Hop Pop finished telling her the events they had lived through ever since leaving Frog Valley, including all the shenanigans they had lived through the journey to Newtopia and on the city itself.
"Sasha became an officer of Newtopia's Army?!"
"Eyup!" Hop Pop murmured, a part of him feeling proud at all the accomplishment the kids (his kids) had managed to do in so little time. "Jacob too! Meanwhile Marcy joined the Night Guard, James became Admiral Bluceocean's newest pupil, while Anne-"
"And don't forget all the adventures we had!" The young yellow frog excitedly nodded. "Grandma, do you know that mom's quite famous in the capital? Everyone knows the name of Felis the Red, and when they learn she's my mom, they are all 'oooh' and-"
"Yeah, I knew the popularity Felicia still has, both in Newtopia and other regions of Amphibia. I guess she did leave quite an impressions thanks to her exploit, huh? I still remember like it was yesterday how she used to lament all those wedding offers she received from those spoiled nobles. I encouraged her to marry for love, not for money, as I always put my daughter's happiness over anything else. That said," Sylvia attitude quickly turned from jovial to icy cold as she remembered a particular sore element in her daughter's life "this doesn't mean I have forgiven that sorry excuse of a husband she got in the end."
"I admit, dad was… unlike how I had pictured him in my head," Ivy murmured, thinking back at the frog they had met back in Les Flies, and her own reaction when she found out it was her biological dad. "But he seemed quite nice. And even if he agreed that we won't be back as a family anytime soon, perhaps someday he could still come to visit, maybe?"
"Well, if your mom agrees on that… of course, I will have some choice words for him, no matter what." Sylvia grimaced with a scolding expression, before deciding it would be better to change the topic of the conversation. "By the way, Hoppy, did you met someone you knew in Newtopia? I remember that you used to know quite a few people who had left for the big city."
"Well, I did meet with some of them." The old farmer replied, the image of Sal appearing in his mind. "They went on with their lives, just like I did. Some changed jobs, other tried other ways to follow their dreams. They even helped me see thing through a new lens, and taught me invaluable lessons I could have learned a long time ago. Oh, that reminds me!" He took his bag and began to search through it, before taking out a large glass bottle. "Remember my friend Sal, the sandwich seller? Well, not only did he get on some big business, but I got him to sell me this bottle of his famous sauce! Perhaps, would you like to try it out tonight? Stumpy's going to make a large gathering at his restaurant, and he promised me we could have our own table to… talk?"
"My dear, sweet potato." Sylvia kissed him on the check, making the Plantar patriarch blush while Ivy giggled, happy for them. "I like the way you think…"
In his office at the barracks of the former Wartwood's Militia, Captain Grime, de-facto commander in charge of the 'Frog Valley Militia', former Captain of the Southern Toad Tower, was trying to make himself busy on paperworks. In the courtyard, a few soldiers (mostly toads, but from the windows he could see a few frogs and even a couple of axolotls) were busy with swordsmanship lessons given by Tritonio. The former scallywag and thief had become one of the most effective and expert instructors the Militia had in their ranks. Even among other veterans of Toad Tower, who used to see him as a criminal and hunt him down, a newfound sense of respect had blossomed for the newt, either for his charming personality or his incredible skills in close combat.
With a sigh, the toad once again tried to focus on the work lying on his desk: reports coming from Lily Paddington, Bog Bottom and Swamp Shiro, each one detailing the Militia's efforts to build new infrastructures and enroll more and more individuals to fill their ranks. A letter coming from the new mayor of Bog Bottom, the axolotl asking the Captain about the possibility to build new additional defenses in the city to reduce the threat coming from the bugs living in the nearby wood. New logistics and ordinance issues, since with the number of soldiers of Militia fielded, so grew the necessity for uniforms, armors, weapons, equipment and supplies they required each day. New plans for fortified positions, observation points and watchtowers the Militia required to effectively watch over local communities and wild areas. A proposition, from one of his lieutenants, do start a 'cleansing operation' in some wild zones to reduce the number of local mantises and other creatures that could pose a risk to the civilians. Even a suggestion to start cut down trees in the Bog Bottom are and use them to build small military ship to be used to eliminate all aquatic monsters in the Valley's largest lake and make it safe for fishing and traveling.
Grime scoffed: he was a toad of action, not a paper-pusher! He craved battle and glory, not for a mundane and boring life about signing documents. He knew that his work was necessary, to provide leadership and coordination to the whole militia and his local commanders, yet he secretly longed for an occasion, perhaps some big monster crawling out of the woods and attacking Wartwood, so he could have an excuse to get out of his office.
And now, Sasha and returned, bringing to him news that he didn't knew how to reply.
Sasha… she was different, from her friends. Determined, energetic, willing to push herself to the limit to achieve what she wanted. The blonde human often reminded the veteran toad captain of his younger self, when he still was a recruit who had joined the Toad Army dreaming of adventure, glory, richness and recognition.
Before the betrayal. Before he was forced to fight for his own life in the Arena, for the amusement of the newt and other people lucky enough to live in Newtopia. Before his fame grew up to the point he was given a second chance in the Toad Army.
Before… Aiden.
I could've died on that day. Frogs, I would have died, if it wasn't for Sasha and her friends. I allowed a snake within my home; I allowed his lies and manipulations to make me blind to the truth; I believed him to my ally even as he weakened my own soldiers by pretending to make them tougher. I even allowed him to murder them, one by one, while I didn't even investigate their disappearance, believing them cowards who had run away. Had I… Had I-
King Andrias sent orders, directed at him. King Andrias himself requested that him, Captain Grime of the Frog Valley militia, had to leave command of the Militia to someone he trusted and accompany Sasha and the rest of her friends in a mission to meet the rest of the Toad Council. To try and convince them to reaffirm their loyalty to Newtopia.
Grime hissed: even back when he was the commander of the Southern Tower, he had never been considered part of the Council. So far, only the commanders of the other three toad towers composed it.
Captain Aldo, commander of the Northern Tower and the Northern Toad Army (the largest and most terrible). A military leader whose voice commandeered the most authority among toads. According to some rumors, he was also an expert necromancer, who had used his own dark skills to remain in the world of the living even as his physical body died and started to decay.
Captain Bufo, commander of the Eastern Tower and Army. An individual forged on a path of honor and glory. A warrior who strictly followed the Way of the Blade, and a leader who've won the undying loyalty of his troop after leading them personally on the frontline during the Sand Wars.
And… the commander of the Western Tower, Captain Beatrix.
His sister.
His once petite little sister who he had teased quite a bit when they were tadpoles, causing her to generate a complex to try and prove every time she was better than him.
The same sister who, through backroom deals and blackmail, had 'saved' him from his gladiator life and made him the new commander of the Southern Tower. Only for him to screw up even more.
"Grimsey, are you in there?" A voice called from the outside, intertwined by the sound of someone's knuckles knocking on the door.
"You can enter, Sasha." The toad replied almost automatically, his brain immediately regretting the decision as his office's door opened abruptly, and a blonde human girl in armor, twin swords on her back and a pinkish tiara on her forehead, marched inside, a worried expression on her face. "What can I do to help you? I had work to do, you know? A whole Militia doesn't administer itself-"
"Paperwork? That's the reason why you left in such a rush?" Sasha questioned, having caught on his lies. "To come here and do paperworks?"
"Not all work of the military can be done by leading your troops into battle and facing colossal creatures. Didn't you learn this in the Newtopia Army?"
"Oh, so you are kind of jealous of that." The blonde human nodded, noticing the flavor in the toad's words. "Afraid Jacob and I will forget about you? You're the one who we spent weeks training after defeating Aiden's robots. And Yunan may be a cool leader and commander, but she will never be you. At least, not to me."
"Your words bring so much warmth to this old toad warrior," Grime mused, before the happy expression on his face disappear with a sigh "Sorry for that, kid. It was just… overwhelming. I mean, I knew you and your friends made your choice in Newtopia, and that I should be happy for you. Frog, being allowed into Newtopia's Army and being promoted to Captain at such a young age… you're going to go far, kid, you know it?"
"No, Grimsey. You were the one that went far, when you disappeared after telling us you needed to take a breath of fresh air. Toadstool and Mrs. Croaker were all worried when they noticed you weren't returning, and then we found out you had left. Do you have any idea how worried I was too? For a minute or two, I believed something bad had happened, like a large bat had come to steal and eat you, or you were kidnapped by assassins!"
"Aren't you letting your friend Amelia brush a little too much onto you? Bats are nocturnal creatures, and why would someone waste money to hire assassins on some toad?"
"Grimsey, please, this is serious! Why did you leave? I thought you'd be overjoyed when we brought back the news! King Andrias himself calling for you to come with us in Newtopia, so you can be part of our mission to convince the rest of the Toad Army to stay loyal. This is a golden chance for you to prove your skills and worth to the King himself, getting recognition and the respect you deserve!"
"Had this offer come to my old self, he surely would have been ecstatic." The Toad commander grunted. "Only I'm no more that toad, you know it. And I don't think it would be a good idea for me to come with you to meet the Toad Council. Let's say that I have… personal issues with them." But specifically, one.
"Personal issues?" Sasha gasped, realizing the issue may be even worse than she assumed. "Do you want to… talk about it? Perhaps it won't help you, but to vent with someone may allow you to remove some of the frustration you're bottling up? Afterward, you will feel more relaxed and lucid."
"Is that something that's related to your 'compliment witchcraft'?" Grime joked, earning a scolding look from Sasha.
"No, but it works on similar principles. You see, all living individuals face issues every day, from decisions they don't know what to pick, to problems they can't solve on their own, repressed anger or other emotions that make them feel uneasy. To put that in perspective, imagine yourself as a stump of wood, and those nasty thought are like the woodworms eating you from the inside."
"That's not a nice picture to imagine." Grime stuttered, Sasha's analogy being even more horrid than she thought since the toad was imagining Amphibian woodworms, much bigger and more aggressive and their Earth counterparts.
"This is why talking about your issues, instead of simply bottling them down, is a much more effective way to deal with them. Of course, I promise that whatever you may say, I won't tell anyone. I can do the professional secret thing, after all!"
"I guess I could give it a try?" Grime said, after thinking about it for a few minutes. "However, can we do this someplace else? Somewhere more… private? I trust you, but if someone comes looking for me, they could end up eavesdropping even without meaning for it. And should something happen while we're busy, it would be better to have someone to take charge of things here until we come back."
"Do you have someone who you trust enough to handle command to? Even just for a short while?"
"Yeah. In fact, I think you know her very well too."
(…)
"Wartwood… surely has changed so much since the last time we were here?" Marcy nodded, walking down the street. All Amphibian who noticed her greeting and smiling at her, the dark-haired nerd smiling back nervously, for she still wasn't fully used to the idea of being the center of everyone's attention.
Around her, Wartwood looked similar, yet different from how she remembered. The city itself radiated a newfound joy and vibrancy, a stark contrast to its desolate state three months prior. Once-dilapidated buildings, long abandoned by their previous owners and builders, had been lovingly restored and repainted, now housing bustling residential buildings and quaint shops offering a diverse array of products.
The very road she was walking on, once a mere dirt track in the heart of the city, had been transformed into a grand boulevard, paved with stone, allowing the wagons that traversed it to glide with ease and speed, reducing the risk of damage. A small hospital had been added, adorned with a towering cross and a vibrant red frog leg symbol. A post office, nestled within a large purple-hued mushroom, was surrounded by a fleet of postal wagons, each pulled by snails or other creatures. And then there was another grand structure, crafted from wood and stone, whose purpose eluded Marcy's grasp.
"It's amazing how things could change in so little time, don't you agree?" Marcy gasped, as she heard someone talking just next to her, the girl jumping only for her shock to turn into happiness as soon as she recognized the meek short frog dressed in Mayor Assistant' uniform.
"Toadie! I didn't notice you approach me."
"As Toadstool's assistant, being discreet is basically a must of my profession." He nodded. "Happy to see you're back, even if not all yet."
"Yeah, I'm happy to see you too. Can I ask you a question? How did you manage to do… all of this, in so little time?"
"Oh, that's because of you and your friends, and everything you did for our town." Toadie nodded. "After you helped us coordinate the building of the bridge over Frog River, our trade with the other cities of the valley grew, and with it, the number of visitors and traders that come to Wartwood skyrocketed! Many were interested to see with their own eyes the marvelous recipe of the 'pizza' you promoted back at the town's potluck, so and thus Farine's profits soared. Of course, all those incoming travelers needed some place to stay while they were in Wartwood, and so Sylvia was all too happy to allow them to stay at his daughter's tea shop. Many of them also required reparation for their vehicles or other wood-made items they required, bring even more flux income for Loggle."
"And thus, a positive benefit was created!" Marcy summarized with a bright smile. "If the people in Wartwood were earning more money, they were able to afford better living conditions or more luxury expenses than before, meaning more earning for all local businesses and thus more taxes money for the Mayor to administrate."
"Especially since he doesn't have to steal them anymore in order to buy his way back to the office at every election." Toadied said with a solemn tone. "By the way, what your friend Sasha told him was surely effective. Before you came along, the Mayor was happy with what he did on regular basis, laying around in the office unless he was specifically requested. Nowadays, he always has some new project to further 'improve' our town and earn even more the approval of our citizen."
"Oh, something nice, I hope!" The dark-haired girl questioned. "May I remind you that, as President of the Saint James Middle School Young Architects Fellowship, I'd be delighted to provide my own help with the Mayor's plans to expand and develop Wartwood further. Even Lady Olivia was impressed-"
"Lady Olivia? You mean THE Lady Olivia? King Andrias's Royal Advisor herself?!" Toadie gasped. "You met her?!"
"Indeed, and not just her! King Andrias himself had taken us, all of us, under his wing. From the very first moment we met in Newtopia. And… I think I may be his favorite: can you believe he personally congratulated me, after I beat him on a game of Flipwart?"
"You beat the King?!" Toadie was now even more shocked than before. "That's… beyond my acceptance's limits. As far as I know, no one ever bet King Andrias since… well, ever!"
"Yeah, I heard that from many other people. But I wasn't the only one to do so: even Amelia pulled it through."
"Amelia beat king Andrias on a game of Flipwart? Amelia?!"
"I guess this the best proof that genius can come in many forms. And besides, it was just a game of Flipwarts, right? It's not like our lives are going to chance just because of that…"
(…)
"How could have this happened!" Hop Pop lamented, holding a small lantern in his right hand, as he tried to make sense of his own surroundings.
Having left the Sundew household (of course, after promising Sylvia he would tell her of his own adventure and experiences during the journey and into Newtopia on that same evening at Stumpy), the old frog had decided to return to his farm, to see how Chuck had been doing taking care of the place in their absence. To his delight, the farm hadn't suffered any kind of damage, and still looked just like they had left it, at the eve of their Journey. Only the fields surrounding the house, filled with tulips of various dimensions and colors, were any hint that anything was ever different.
After thanking Chuck for his work and services, Hop Pop had checked on how the tomatoes were doing. The once vicious vegetables having now become quite tame thanks to help of the six humans and a diet that helped to stigmatize their natural aggressiveness. Soon, a new batch would be ready to be sold, and the wise old farmer decided on the spot that it would be a good idea to take a few samples to bring back in Newtopia. Perhaps Sal could be interested into using them for a variation of his sauce? Or maybe, he could make a deal with some restaurants in Newtopia that would be interested into adding something exotic to their recipes? Even if the farm was doing better than ever economically, the old frog wanted to be sure his grandchildren would have more than enough to cover their expenses and fund their dream careers, in the future.
After that, he checked on Pepo, the large living mutant Pumpkin that the kids had found a long time ago, on the very day they discovered the underground rooms under the farm. In there, they also learned that each rooms was belonging to some lost member of the Plantar family. They appears to be simple farmers to the world, but renowned experts on specific fields of knowledge only to a few selected. The large pumpkin creature acted affectionately, his behavior showing that Chuck had taken the recommendations from both Marcy and Maddie to the heart.
It was then, that everything went wrong. The old farmer was going to set out once again when suddenly, he felt the need to go to the bathroom. He was standing at the entrance of the farm when he first felt that, and the bathroom was on the second floor of the farm. A five-minute walk, with two curves, nothing more.
Thus, how in the frog's name could he have gotten so lost he was now deep underground, on a pathway still unexplored that served to connect the various rooms inside the farm, with no clear idea how he had managed to get to this point and no idea how to get back to the surface?
"Jacob was right! We ought to have fully explored this area before leaving the Valley." Hop Pop grunted, trying to find something, anything that could help him orientate without map or compass. "At least, right now I would know where to go!
Perhaps the pathway was to the left… or maybe it was to the right? Or maybe, there was a passage he accidentally passed over, a few minutes ago? Or maybe he was so long he was walking in the opposite direction, and all he had to do to return to the surface was turning around?
"If at least I could find one of those doors! From there, I could try to orientate myself and-"
The old frog's lament stopped, as almost in response to his prayers (or perhaps, just to make him shut up), a door appeared within his sight. The metallic surfaces covering it shined as the light of the lamp reflected on them. Immediately, he rushed toward it, wondering whose member of the Plantar's family this door belonged to. Was this the room of Skip Plantar? The one of Great Aunt Gertrude? Or perhaps the ancient vault of second cousin Alfred? Depending on who the room belonged to, the road back to the surface-
But once again, his hopes were dashed as the door the old frog had found was not one he was already aware of, but instead, a new one, with little to none elements to identity it. It was a solid wood door, adorned with chrome-plated metal finishes, depicting a gnarled branch, bristling with thorns on the left, and lush with sap leaves at its base. On the right, another branch, this one adorned with a plethora of mushroom images and a small bush, its base adorned with reeds. In the center, just below the point where both branches intertwined, another image, this one depicting the face of a frog (or perhaps, a toad?). At the bottom, a rectangular opening, also decorated to resemble a frog. And, in the heart of the door, a metallic beacon shines, affixed to the wood, the 'P' of Plantars. A fascinating detail: beneath the P, a mark in the wood hinted that the P once must have been much larger, stretching downwards before curving in on itself and extending to the left, transforming the 'P' into an 'L'. L as in...
'Leif?' Hop Pop uttered, before his mind could even grasp the significance of his words. Could it be? Leif Plantar, the elusive ancestor/relative of the Plantar family that Amelia had been searching for so long... could this be her room?
Having momentarily forgotten his woes, the old frog walked closer to the door, wondering how if it could be opened. After confirming that the door wasn't simply leaning to appear closed, Hop Pop began to move his hands over the wooden surface, trying to locate some weak point that could be used to force through the lock. Now I wish Jacob was here with me: not only would he never get lost in this maze, but he could finally use those lockpicking skills of his to a good use.
Perhaps, the strange rectangular opening on the lower half of the door… was that the keyhole he was searching for? But then, what kind of key would it require, in order to open? Something large, square, perhaps as old as the door-
A grumbling coming from his stomach, and a hiss of pain later, Hop Pop decided to postpone the search until a more suitable time could be found. Bathroom first, then he could tell the others about the new door he had found, the one that probably belonged to Leif. Amelia would be ecstatic, once she found out? Besides, it's not like he was going to forget about it by the time he found the bathroom, right?
Right?
(…)
"-and that's how I, the brightest and most promising member of the Toad Army, ended up arrested as the worst kind of criminal and sentenced to spend the rest of my days in the Arena, fighting monsters or other gladiators like me for the amusement of Newtopia's aristocracy!"
"Wow, I can tell, you went through a lot." Sasha replied, adding new notes on her notepad, sitting on a chair while Grimsey was resting on the couch, narrating the sad story of his life. "So, all of this happened because you were betrayed by-"
"Don't say their name!" Grime yelled before immediately regretting his tone. "Sorry, I didn't want to… it's just that, I have never forgotten, nor I think I will ever be able to forgive them. And every time I hear their name, I feel like I'm forced to relieve those days, the pain to realize the person who I trusted the most had used me as a scapegoat while they escaped scoot free… I was genuinely afraid at the time, you know it? I was convinced I would have been executed, and my remains would be used as a warning to scare other young officers not to act as I did. And even when I was sentenced to fight in the arena, my fear dissipated, but my pain didn't."
"Understandable, after finding out the whole story of how you ended up in such a situation. And… you say the reason why you got selected as the new Captain of the Southern Tower… was because of your sister?"
"Her name is Beatrix, captain Beatrix of the Western Tower. We always had been quite the rivalry, ever since we were tadpoles, and through out whole lives, she had made her mission to prove she was better than me, as payback for how I behaved with her. When the previous commander of the Southern Tower died, the Toad Army couldn't find anyone stupid enough to take command, due to the bad reputation the toads fighting in the Southern Army had got in the meantime. At the time, my fame as gladiator had quite spread beyond Newtopia, and she used that to convince the other leaders to instate me as the next commander. At first, of course, I was ecstatic, because I believed I got another chance at proving my worth, and I would get a clean state on my supposed crimes. It was only after I arrived at the Tower, and I realized what kind of troops I had put in charge of, that I realize what had really happened."
"Let me guess, you realized they had set you up to fail, knowing that once that happened, it would add even more dirt to your story."
"I was a toad of action, who dreamed of becoming a great commander in battle… and I got a bunch of washed-out troops that even the lousiest bunch of cadets from Newtopia would be able to beat. Of course, that was before you helped me see beyond their appearance and assisted me in rebuilding our bonds. Look at them now," the veteran commander pointed, as more sounds of the troops training came from the outside. "Now they've become troops I can be proud of having under my command, soldiers I would gladly lead into battle myself and which I would happily sacrifice my life for."
"And they would do the same for you, as well as for anyone they care from. The people in Wartwood respect them and treat them as their heroes, and in exchange, they're willing to fight the hardest battles in order to protect them. They acknowledge you as their protectors, for you are willing to fight the battles in their place."
"It still sounds so foreign… once, I thought the main reason why we were deployed was to make sure the people of the land paid their due tributes, and to quell down any insurrection and rebellion that risked threatening the King's authority." He made a disgusted expression. "King's authority… for all that matters. The toads obeyed him for this long only because being soldiers and extorting tributes from the frog is what defines us. We barely receive any updates from the city, and thus, as long as we make sure the city receives what they expect, they barely send someone to check."
"So… you think that if Aiden manages to get this Barrel's Warhammer, the toads may be convinced to switch side and join him?"
"I surely won't, and nor will the Valley militia. We can still remember what that bastard had done to us, how he used us as his pawns, setting us against the frogs in the hopes we would wipe each other and allowing him to take on the winner." Grime said as he held his fist, wishing so hard that Aiden was here so he could punch him in the face, before his fury left place to bitterness.
"But as for the others… if Aiden does manage to locate Barrel's Warhammer, and successfully retrieves it, we don't know what might happen. Perhaps he would be able to trick the other armies to join his mad folly of conquest, or perhaps the best he can do is to try and convince them to stay neutral, but whatever the case, it won't be good for you. From what you told me, if Aiden attacks Newtopia with the forces already under his command, he has good chances of overpowering its defenses and defeating the garrison. And once that happens-"
"Then we will continue the fight, either here or whenever a resistance may be possible." The blonde human girl replied, no hesitation in her voice. "Even if Newtopia was to fall, that doesn't mean Aiden wins, even if the rest of the Toad Army decides to sit on their big, fat, ugly butts twiddling their thumbs all day! You have seen what he can do, what he is willing to the frogs, the toads, to all Amphibians who end on his path, you know what he has in plan for me and my friends… if we were ever to fall in his hands."
Suddenly, an image appeared within Grime's mind: he saw Aiden, smug and arrogant as the night he decided to ditch his disguise and stab him in the back (both figuratively and literally), sitting on Andrias' throne, the headless slain body of the king dropped on the cold floor, next to his feet; in the background, from the broken stained glass, Newtopia burned, the screams of the newts and other creatures living in the city echoing form the distance; the cut-off head of the giant newt king having been hanged just above the throne. Jacob was there, as were Amelia and James, all three of them tied with chains and metal collars around their necks, the pitiful look of defeat on their faces.
And standing around the evil prince, Sasha, Marcy and Anne were too locked with chains, yet their clothes and uniforms had been replaced with bright white wedding dresses (Marcy was even wearing a veil!) to symbolize their new status as Aiden's… wives…
Grime suddenly jumped on his feet, slamming his fist on the nearest wall, his still-working eyes seething with anger as he felt ready to fight against a whole army on his own. No matter that would happen, he would never allow such a dreadful fantasy to become reality.
"Sasha, I… want to thank you for helping me think about my issues." The Toad commander said, the aforementioned human taking a couple of steps back as she noticed how his voice sounded cold, tranquil, yet also filled with pure rage. "I have reflected onto them, and I think I've come to a decision…"
"I'm so happy we got to meet again, Mr. Moss Man," Amelia said in a relaxed, heartfelt tone of voice, sitting in the small clearing with her legs crossed, her boots removed so she was barefeet, while the moss-covered creature left our a few more gurgles, listening to her words. "I know I promised I would find your friend again, and I apology for taking so long, but… I think I've made some progresses."
The Moss Man didn't seem to react to her words, taking another deep breath as more glowing butterflies kept flying, surrounding him and Amelia.
"When we arrived in Newtopia, I tried to search in the local library if there were some records that may contain about 'Leif', but… no matter where I looked, I couldn't find anything! Just like she had never existed in the first place! However, Aiden clearly talked about her, and his words… he implied she may be a distant relative of Hop Pop and his family, perhaps their ancestor. But it that was true… how long ago had this happened? How much time had passed, ever since you last saw her?"
Centuries, the Moss man would have probably replied if he was able to talk, its glowing eyes set on the girl. The moss-made creature once again could feel the glowing power of the Calamity Stone of Respect, imbued within the human girl's body, but unlike the other times they met before, the large green creature could see that her power was no more locked, but instead flowed within her blood, in her bones, down to the very breath escaping from her lungs and nostrils.
The Gem of Respect had awakened, just like every other had done. Heart, Strength, Wit, Courage, Respect and Imagination, each of their new holders had managed to awaken the power. And that meant that the words of the Prophecy were on the good path to accomplish what they had been foretold to do.
"But that's not the only strange things I've witnessed." Amelia continued, as the Moss Man kept silently to gaze upon the purple light within her. "You remember my master, the old axolotl I told you about? The blind one?"
The Moss Man let out a sound of appreciation, Amelia unaware that the forest-dweller had known Noc for a longer time that she could ever suspect.
"Well, I- met again with her, while we were travelling to Newtopia. But, she wasn't alone: there was someone with her, that weird newt seller I met first when I went to check the Bizarre Bazaar, and she seemed to be quite knowledgeable about the Gems, the Box and why Aiden is looking for them. And she said that there is some hidden enemy who will try to poison our minds, and Aiden's most probably it. And… apparently we're involved in a prophecy of some sort."
The Moss-Man's bright eyes widened, as she realized the new holder of the Gem of Respect knew about the prophecy.
"Seven stars burning bright, come from beyond to expel the night." Amelia repeated the words she had translated from the Ancient Amphibian, unaware of the reaction those words were causing in the Moss-Man. "Should they fight or embrace the fall? Their choice will determine the fate of all. Perhaps, do you have any idea of what those words may mean? Perhaps you have heard of them before?"
The Moss Man stood in silence, their mind thorn between the desire to tell her the truth (or at least, reveal the human girl what they knew) and their duty to maintain the silence. Already the six humans had made great progresses in finding out the truth behind their presence in Amphibia, the nature of the stones and how this connected them with Newtopia and Aiden, yet the truth was still far. And the less they knew, the easier Andrias and his masters would be able to try and manipulate them, to try and negate the Prophecy.
We can't reveal their path to them before they're ready to walk through it, Noc had said in a few occasions, for to know without being ready is the recipe for disaster. Already we've made this mistake once-
The Moss Man grumbled, as they were reminded of the 'mistake'.
The Seventh Star of the Prophecy, the Fallen Ones.
The one star who Noc and his friends had met, a long time ago, and convinced to join them.
The Star that now, far from working to accomplish the prophecy, now seriously threatened to condemn all of Amphibia. Even the fact that the humans' progresses had thrown a few serious wrenches in the Core's plans wasn't enough to underplay the threat the whole Amphibia now stood on the brink of.
"You know, even after what we have done, after everything we have accomplished, I still feel worried." Amelia nodded, getting closer to the Moss Man and hugging its 'fur', the moss-covered creature not pushing her away and instead, allowing her to keep hugging them, for they could feel the human's desperate need for empathy and comfort. "Back on Earth, the biggest things we had to worry were homework, tests and what do to in our free time, not enemy armies threatening our loves ones. When new were in Los Angeles, there is nothing I wanted more than to be kickass samurai warrior, to fight bad guys and have adventures every day, and visit exotic places; and after we arrived in Amphibia… I got all of this! I have a master, I have disciples; I have a word, and a companion that I love from the bottom of my heart; I fought against enemies of all kinds, from small-level crooks to national terrorists; I have seen places and towns that would make the most successful fantasy writer with the brightest fantasy go green from envy; I met incredible beings such as you; I even got freakin' superpowers!" Amelia's voice trembled as a spark of purple energy escaped from her left hand before disappearing, tears forming in her eyes. "And yet, now the thing I wish the most is to be able to see my family again! I want for me and Jacob to go back home, I want to hug them and tell them how grateful I am they took me under their roof; I want to tell them how awesome Jacob is, and how happy I am to have him as my brother; I want to go back to Saint James, and meet all the people I used to meet back there! I want to walk around the city and do child stuff; I want to go in a takeout to puy a pizza and a milkshake without bugs on them! I want to sleep in my bed, my real bed, not the one I have in the room I'm sharing with the other girls in Newtopia! I want to check out new anime on my phone, I want to go on a library to read manga, I want-"
Amelia stopped, her breathing breaking down and becoming a sob, the Moss Man pushing her even stronger against their chest, one of their hands patting her on the back, as the girl released all the emotions she had tried to contain and suppress for months.
"I want to be a normal girl again! I want to worry about test and homeworks, not about assassins killing me in my sleep! I want to live my life without fear I could lose one of my close ones in the blink of an eye. I want to laze around in my pajama and- I'm not a proud samurai, I'm not a sensei! All my life I wanted to be a hero like the ones of my anime, but I'm not one of them! I'm not a hero, I'm a child soldier!" Amelia gasped, breathing down heavily, the harsh truth she had refused to acknowledge now laid open. "I'm a child soldier; I'm a child soldier; I'm a child soldier-"
Everything will be alright in the end, child, The Moss Man thought, refusing to let her go, even as Amelia's sobbing began to die down and subside, the path in front of you it may be easy or it may be rocky, it may short or it may be long, it may bring you to face challenges you never dreamed of facing before, but in the end everything will be alright. Because if it's no alrightt, then it means it's not over yet.
(…)
"Psss! Maddie!"
"Huh? Oh, hi Ivy!" The bright blue spellcaster frog nodded, seeing the same-age friend and companion with yellow skin emerge from a shrub. "How did it go? Is you grandma still okay?"
"She is, and judging by how things are going between her and Hop Pop, I may have call him Grandpa very soon. Do you think that, once that happens, Sprig and I will be in-laws?"
"Then you'd be cousins, and I'd be free to pursue him and take him completely for myself!"
"Don't you dare! We have a deal, and don't you forget about it! We're supposed to share him equally!" Ivy replied with an irked look, before her expression mellowed down. "And what about your family? Is your father all healthy again?"
"He is, even if his healing was not… completely natural." Maddie grumbled, thinking back at the description he had given her of Aiden's break-in in their home. "He also told me that, while we were away, business kept booming so he has more than enough money to pay off all expenses, even without me here to help."
"Interesting, even grandma told me she's doing way better than before. Do you know she's seriously considering expanding the tea shop, just so we can add more bedrooms for guests who want to stop and sleep in Wartwood? She's even writing a letter for me to give mom, once we return, asking for her opinion in the matter."
"Could you imagine that? More people willingly coming to Wartwood? If someone had told me this would've happened, I would've probably never believed them." The spellcaster frog mused. "It's strange to think our lives could change so much in less than one year."
"Yeah, I guess I would have never thought I could ever want someone to become my big sister before meeting Sasha. I guess it's the same for you and Marcy, or for Amelia and your little sister, right?"
"Right. Ever since she came to help us, as payment for that dough, I feel like everything had started changing for the better. My father's smiling more often, my sisters are less obnoxious, we can even spend time together and not be bothered by each other…"
Both frog girls looked down, as suddenly, a dark cloud of sadness appeared above them.
"What will we do once they leave?" Ivy piped up. "I mean, it's this the reason why we accompanied them to Newtopia in the first place: to help them find a way so they can return to their world. But, what if the way back is one-way only? What if they can't use it anymore, and we'll be divided forever? I don't want to lose Sasha, not after everything we have been through together! Nor I want to lose any of them!"
"Believe me, I know how you feel: sometimes I still dream about it at night, to lose Marcy forever." Maddie hissed, still feeling pain at the idea. "It had become one of my most popular nightmares, after the old one where I'm burned at stake fell of out flavor. But, the more I think about it… the more I am convinced I won't give up, ever if I have to spend the rest of my life trying to get them back!"
"Do you think that's' doable? I mean, when they first showed us the Box, you couldn't understand how its magic worked."
"Yeah, but since then, I took the chance to learn as much as I could. Marcy was so kind to allow me to help her try to understand how the Box worked, and comparing what I learned from the Box with all other sources of magic theory available, I have learned so many new things. And-" Ivy felt a shiver as a nasty grin appeared on Maddie's face, "-I still have all the Calamity Blood Marcy and the other supplied me, from time to time. What they could give me on each session wasn't much, but once I have enough, even the most powerful spells won't be out of my grasp."
"But if you could do that, why don't you try one of your rituals to send Marcy and the others back home?"
"That's currently my last reserve choice, something I'll do once we have explored any other option, and we are sure there is no other way to bring our friend home. After all, we are not talking about something simple like vanquishing an accidental love pheromone, or punishing a moral-less magical hack: the reaction needed to create such a passage, a bridge between our world and theirs... Not only it will require untold level of magical energy, but it could threaten the balance with catastrophic consequences."
"How much catastrophic are we talking?"
"Apocalyptic ones." Maddie groaned. "The kind of spell that, depending on the ability of the spellcaster and how it used, it could save a world… or condemn it to oblivion."
"Oh…"
"Of course, I am still researching. And I promise you, no matter what, nothing will be able to divide us if I have say on it. The Box proves that traveling between our world and Marcy's one is doable, and thus, there is a process behind it. And if it can be replicated, then it can be upgraded! Maybe by reducing its energy consumption and make it more efficient!"
"Then perhaps," Ivy nodded, determination and willpower blossoming on her face as well, "would you like for me to help you?"
(…)
"Captain!" Braddock gasped in surprise. "So, you're saying… you're leaving us?"
"No, at least, not permanently." Grime nodded, taking a deep breath before continuing. "The King requested my presence to assist Sasha and her friends, as we will go to the North Tower and convince the Toad Council to reaffirm their loyalty to Newtopia. Since I was the last commander of the Southern Toad Army before its 'dissolution', I have been selected to go with them and provide support."
"The Toad Council." Percy looked aside with a worried look. "Are you sure about that, Captain? Last I recall, the other leaders of the Toad Army didn't think too much about us."
"Thanks for reminding me why I had been so hesitant to go until now." Grime let out a loud groan. "Look, I know about what they believe, but right now, the situation doesn't give us too much time to think about our options: if Aiden's really trying to recover Barrel's Warhammer, we must act now before he even gets a chance to get his filthy hands on our most scared relic.
"Barrel's Warhammer… to think such an artifact existed for real." Percy wondered, a shadow of worry over his face. "Do you know about the legend? The legendary monster still guarding it, the one that even the great Barrel couldn't defeat in combat?"
"Relax, is not like I'm going to ask you two to come with me." Grime let out a chuckle, checking the last paperwork to make sure everything would be fine while he was away. "Besides me and Sasha, there will be Anne, Marcy, Jacob, Amelia… who you know they all have unlocked the same glowing power. Remember what Toadstool told us, of what Anne did to those herons? Remember what Sasha did to those giant soldiers of Aiden, with her bare hands? And they were alone, I bet with all of them we could take whatever monster we may end up facing."
"But still, how can you be sure the Toad Army will be willing to listen to you? Sir, you've been in the army as long as we were, and you know all those rumors and wild guesses running around, and the way toads think of Newtopia and the King. Frog, we used to think the same things back then, before Aiden came to us. And we're lucky enough we've managed to live through him!"
"Hey, I managed to make you listen to me, did I? It won't be too hard, especially if I have Sasha to help me."
"And you can bet about that!" The office's door opened again, all toads turning around to see a familiar blonde human girl in armor, a pinkish tiara holding her hair together, twin swords on her back. "No way I'm letting you go in such an important mission alone."
"SASHA!" Percy and Braddock smiled at the same time, rushing toward her and enveloping the human in a heartfelt hug.
"We're so happy to see you again!"
"We barely heard any news after you left."
"Hey, this is why I am here now. Besides, don't tell me you didn't expect me to come and see you. How's your musical gig going, Percy? Did you receive some commission yet?"
"No, not yet, but I don't think I'll ever need one. Here I have everything I ever wanted for: a nice audience to play my music for, people who want to spend time with me for company and not because they are obliged to; I got the respect I wanted as a musician and a jester, and every day I am reminded why I love doing that."
"And I got a chance to further develop my gardening skills!" Braddock nodded with eyes filled with pride. "Hop Pop's teaching helped me so much, I got to show off the fruit of my labors before you leave."
"Hey, tonight we're going to have a big party at Stumpy's, how about you come as well?" Sasha suggested. "I bet Hop Pop would be delighted to hear about your progresses, Braddock. Just like Ivy would be delighted to see you again, Percy."
And so, the three toads and one human shared that heartfelt moment together, Sasha feeling an inner surge of happiness from them, as for a brief moment, all her worries and fears about the war against Aiden were temporarily forgotten…
Hello everyone!
It's been so long since I started writing this fiction and… WOW, I can't believe how much far we've gone, ever since I published the first chapter. I've been through so many hardships, I met so many wonderful people that gave me priceless advice, I found so much love for my characters and the plots I decided to use, and I've read so many beautiful comments my readers, aka you, had left me to provide their feedback for my stories.
Sadly, something unexpected happened to me recently. While I can't share the full details with you, I can tell that RL events and the precarious balance between work and writing had caused me to suffer a severe case of depression and creative burnout, draining the joy out of everything I loved to do (writing included) and making me feel sad and tortured every day. This, among other things, is part of the reason why this chapter is 1-week late.
Unfortunately, I do not think I can keep up with my current fanfiction writing schedule nor the quality I expect from my works at this juncture. For this reason, I want to inform you all my readers that I'm taking a break from fanfiction writing, putting this story on hiatus until I'll feel better and once again in shape to resume my usual writing schedule. I'll continue to update the stories who still have chapters ready, but once those are published, I'm taking a break. I apologize, again, for letting you down, but I don't think I can't keep writing at this point, not without risk further emotional collapses…or worse.
Once again, I want to thank you for the support you've given me through the years, for all the amazing feedbacks and comment you've sent me to read, and I want to invite you all to check my Tumblr account, where you can find ALL my current fanfictions (not only the ones on AO3 or , but also on other sites as well). There you can also find HOW you can support me and my writing, should you decide to do it: I am sorry to ask you this, but with how hectic these last few months have been, every little thing help me and may provide me more free time available I can use to write my fics.
My Tumblr: therealtrunko/778531125986557952/hello-you-beautiful-people-my-name-is-trunko
Thank you for your time and for your attention. I hope I'll be able to resume writing full-time once I feel better, and that you will always support me and my stories.
Greetings.