The small convoy kept going towards its destination for a couple more hours. They eventually left the desert area and noticed the stunning changes in the scenery. Even though it was still hot, the air no longer felt dry.
The convoy arrived near the river bank in the early morning. The soldier driving the wagon where Kay and the others were sleeping was responsible for waking them up.
"Captain, we have reached the river. We will begin refilling the wagon and filling up the boxes with water as well."
As usual, Ayaka was the one to respond, and she began to gently wake up the other two girls who were still sleeping.
"Girls, wake up. When was the last time you both took a shower? Let's use this chance to get clean."
The girls got out of the wagon, and Kay asked a thunder militia to accompany them. They then walked to the top of the waterfall to ensure no one could see them, and Kay instructed another Thunder militia member to stand watch.
Due to its close location to the desert, the water had a pleasant warmth to it. The girls proceeded to undress, and a passerby would have mistaken them for mythical water spirits if they had seen the scene.
"Dear Kay, please come and allow me to bathe you."
Using a soft tone, Ay led Kay to the river and began washing her hair. The water in the river had a pleasant scent of sunflowers, thanks to Laurelena's body.
"H-H-Hey, try using this flower to wash your hair. It has a substance that will make it smell like sunflowers, just like me."
"Okay, thank you, Lau. Thanks to you, this shower is a pleasant one."
Lau blushed at Ay's comment, then she went underwater in the river with only half of her red face visible. Ay laughed at this, while Kay started to doze off from the relaxing head massage she was getting.
Ay handed Kay to Lau while she washed her hair. Then she used the flower lent by Lau to wash her fluffy black tails. It was a beautiful sight to see the girl washing her tails.
After washing their bodies, the girls cleaned their underwear and clothes because those were the only clothes they had. The clothes dried quickly in the strong sun, so they got dressed and returned to the convoy.
When they reached the convoy, everything was prepared, and the soldiers were able to fish and were planning to cook the fish while Kay approached them.
"Can I have a go at cooking fish? I've never done it before, and I'm curious to try."
"Sure, cap here; you can practice with this fish; I will tell you how to do it."
Kay did as she was told; she took out the fish's organs, cleaned off the blood by the river, scraped off the scales, and inserted a stick in its mouth. After that, she carried the fish over to the bonfire where someone was grilling food, and she placed the fish on the simple metal grill.
After some time, her cooked fish was ready. Despite being slightly charred in places, it was still able to be eaten. She felt happy about her first attempt at cooking fish and decided to take it to Ay as a gift.
"Ayyyy, here's this for you. Let me know how it tastes. Is it delicious?"
Upon first observation, it was evident that the fish was overcooked, and upon tasting it, the fish lacked any seasoning.
"Kay, erm you forgot the salt."
"Ahhh, I'm sorry, Ay. You don't have to eat the fish; let me bring you another one."
"No, no, it's okay, Kay; don't worry. Just bring me some salt and a lemon so I can season it."
Kay dashed towards where the soldiers were cooking and requested some salt and a lemon. She hurried back to Ay with the items. While the two girls enjoyed their fish, Lau was sunbathing on a large rock.
As the soldiers were having a meal by the river, a large frog emerged from the water. Using its long tongue and fast movements, it caught one of the soldiers and swallowed him whole.
Kay was the first one to react by quickly charging towards the frog. However, as she approached, another long tongue came out of the river and hit her from the side, causing her to go flying towards the woods.
"Enemies!"
"Go take the weapons!"
"Get ready men!"
The soldiers immediately began preparing for battle, but then two large frogs emerged from the water and snatched two more soldiers with their long tongues. Suddenly, an arrow struck one of the frogs, sending it flying and causing it to land on the ground, freeing the soldier it had captured. The second frog was pelted with a barrage of rock spikes in its tongue, but because of it Ether, it didn't feel any pain and proceeded to eat the soldier.
Kay returned from the forest and she focused her eyes on the frog to get it status.
Lvl 8[---][Giant Frog][Hp:800/800][ET:900/900] x5
Kay pulled a small black knife from her waist, turning it into a long, dark spear, and she quickly attacked the frogs again. She skillfully avoided their tongues as Ay and Lau provided covering fire.
After a few minutes the soldiers were finally ready and in formation.
"[The almighty me!!]"
"I'm here again; as usual, you all are useless without my help."
Laurelena instructed Grandpa Turtle to use his taunting ability, causing the frogs to approach the shield wall. Upon uttering his usual censured words, the frog ceased attacking Kay and instead leaped towards the cocky little turtle.
"Archers fire at will!"
"Mages focus fire on the same target as me!"
Once the frogs started attacking the hoplites, Ayaka and Laurelena instructed their squads on what to do. Shortly after, all five frogs were killed, leading to a large door appearing on top of the river.