Arc 3: Trials and Toads
Sasha looked carefully around the armory of Toad Tower. The armory was stocked with all manner of weapons, as well as various armor sets for the toad. Grime had brought her here to pick out some new clothes, as he figured if Sasha was going to serve as his second in command, she needed something that spoke to that. Sasha herself was glad for the chance to get some new clothes. Her St. James uniform had been worn ragged from the time she had spent in the toad prison, and it had further been damaged in her recent fight with the herons. As she pulled off her jean jacket, she noticed just how damaged it was, with rips and holes all over it. Sasha pulled out various pieces of armor, giving them a quick look to see if any of them suited her. She tried on a few pieces, but as they were mostly sized for larger toads, they didn't fit her slender frame.
"Sorry, I suppose I should have realized that most of these armor sets are too big for you," said Grime.
"You toads are all short and squat," commented Sasha. "I don't suppose you have any ones that were skinny like me?"
"Hmmm, actually…" began Grime. He moved over to another section of the room and began shifting aside various pieces of armor. Finally, he found what he was looking for a faded bronze breastplate and a matching arm guard. He pulled them out and showed them to Sasha.
"Hmm, this looks about my size. Let me see," began Sasha. "Uh, Grime, could you leave the room, please?"
"Oh, right, sure," said Grime awkwardly before leaving. A few moments later, Sasha emerged from the armory, wearing the breastplate and arm guard. It fit her perfectly!
"Alright, I'm feeling this!" exclaimed Sasha as she moved around in her new armor. "Where did this come from?"
"I think we made it for Percy's son," said Grime.
"What?! Percy has a son?" said Sasha. "Now that's some fresh gossip!"
"Yes, well, his son is a runt who has trouble picking up a sword," said Grime. "He's much smaller and weaker than other toads. Still, every toad is expected to serve some years in the army, so we made this armor for him, only for Percy to tell us that he was sending his son away for some private training."
"Private training?" asked Sasha.
"I'm not quite sure what he meant," began Grime, "though supposedly he sent him away somewhere to learn how to be a better toad. If you ask me, it won't work. The kid can't help being weak, and no amount of training can fix that."
"Lucky for me, he's not here then," said Sasha. "Now I get to use this dope armor instead."
"It does suit you," observed Grime, "though I suppose you could do with some new shoes as well."
Sasha looked down at her feet. Her pointed-heel shoes had seen better days, for sure, and would be impractical in an environment like Amphibia's.
"Yeah, maybe a good pair of boots would be nice," said Sasha. "Oh, you know what else? Do you have a brown cape? I think that would look good on me. It would match my armor."
"I'll see what we can do about that," said Grime. "If you're finished with your new wardrobe, then you need to pick out a weapon as well."
As Sasha and Grime returned to the armory, Sasha looked around, this time at the various weapons available. The toads had a variety of weapons, including swords, axes, spears, crossbows, and even maces.
"Huh, you know what this reminds me of?" said Sasha. "Back in the human world, there was this game that I used to play with Anne, Marcy, and Luz called Creatures and Caverns."
"Oh, what kind of game was it?" asked Grime.
"It was a game where you pretended to be characters in a fantasy world, kind of like this one, and you journeyed through it going on adventures," explained Sasha.
"Oh, I see," said Grime.
"The character I played was called Slash the Warrior," said Sasha. "She was a fearsome barbarian who could wield all kinds of weapons. She was one of the best fighters in the land. It's funny how I used to pretend to be that person, but now I can actually be Slash the Warrior for real."
"Indeed you can," said Grime. "So, any of these weapons catch your eye?"
Sasha picked up a spear and tried it out. She twirled it in her hands a few times before thrusting it in various directions. The spear was light and fast and had good range, but Sasha wasn't happy with how thin the weapon was. Next, she picked up an axe and tried it out. The axe was large and heavy, and it took effort to swing it, even for someone as strong as Sasha. Finally, she looked at the various swords that lay about the armory. One sword, in particular, caught her eye. It was a broadsword that was bright red. Sasha took the sword and pulled it from its scabbard, giving it a few swings to test it out. Sasha liked the feeling of the sword in her hand. As she inspected the handle, she noticed it appeared to be in the shape of a bird.
"Is this supposed to be a heron?" she asked Grime.
"Yes, it is," he replied. "Actually, that sword was made specifically to fight the herons. If I'm not mistaken, it even has a name." Grime mused for a few seconds as he tried to remember what that sword was called before replying, "Ah, I remember! It is called Orcrist the Heron Cleaver!"
"Hmm, well balanced, nice color and it even has a dope name," said Sasha. "I think this will do just fine." With that, Sasha clipped the sword to her belt to complete her look.
"Well, good. Now that that's done, on to business," said Grime. "You heard the report from my tax collectors after they returned from Wartwood, right?"
"Yeah, I did. Do you think that means there's another human there?" asked Sasha.
"Perhaps," replied Grime. "But before we talk about Wartwood, there is another problem that I might need your help with. In fact, this particular problem has been a thorn in my side for quite some time."
"What problem is that?" asked Sasha.
"Out in the east is a small town called Tadpole Pond," explained Grime. "It's one of the only towns that we've never been able to fully subjugate, all because of the blasted witch."
"Witch? You mean you have magic out here too?" asked Sasha.
"Yes, though thankfully, there aren't many who can use it," replied Grime. "The salamanders were the ancient practitioners of magic, but there aren't many left. A few other amphibians have tried to self-teach themselves magic with varying results, but there's at least one true curse wielder still around who protects the town of Tadpole Pond. Her name is Uodeela."
"But she's just one witch, right?" asked Sasha. "She can't possibly be that powerful."
"Don't underestimate her," said Grime. "Not only is she a powerful magic user, but she can transform herself into a heron, and as you saw yourself, herons can cause major damage."
"Still, you said she's only guarding one town, right?" said Sasha. "Is there a reason you want to control that town?"
"It's the principle of the thing," said Grime. "The fact that we can't exert our control over a town in the valley is a testament to our failure."
"Is that all?" asked Sasha dryly.
"Well, there is also the fact that she's been raiding our tax collectors," said Grime. "A few weeks ago, she managed to steal from one of our shipments, and she's been doing that for years now, but there's nothing we can do to stop her. Even if I were to bring my entire army to bear on her, she could likely defeat them all."
"So what do you want me to do about her?" asked Sasha.
"I don't know," answered Grime, "but I wanted to at least bring the problem to your attention. I'm sure your devious little mind can think of some way we can beat her."
Sasha smiled at this. "I bet I can come up with something, but now let's talk about Wartwood. What do you want to do about them?"
"We need to make an example of the frog who stood up to the tax collectors," said Grime. "We should go and invade the town and kill him in front of the townspeople."
"Okay, that's a little on the nose there, Grimesy," began Sasha. "Besides, what did I just show you with your troops and the herons? You need to try using positive reinforcement."
"And how exactly would that work in this scenario?" asked Grime.
"Instead of invading Wartwood, why don't we invite the citizens here?" proposed Sasha. "You wouldn't have to exert any extra energy chasing them. Plus, you would lower their guard. They wouldn't think they were being invited just to be put in their place."
"Hmm, that does sound easier," mused Grime. "It would save us a lot of trouble."
"So let's start formulating a plan for how we're gonna get everyone here," said Sasha.
"Okay, I like how you think," said Grime.
Swords clashed as Sasha and Anne fought each other. Sasha couldn't believe what Anne had done, not only in defending the frogs from her but also in standing up to her and not listening to what she said.
"What's gotten into you, Anne?" asked Sasha. "You were never like this back home."
"Do you ever stop talking?" responded Anne, with venom in her voice.
Sasha pressed her attack against Anne, trying to dissuade her with words.
"You should be lucky that you found me," began Sasha. "You know how rough this world is. For all you know, I'm the only one who survived."
"What?!" exclaimed Anne.
"Oh, please. You think Marcy, who's always tripping over her own feet, can survive in a world like this?" said Sasha.
"I… No... Why are you saying that, Sasha?" said Anne as she guarded against another strike from her friend.
"Come on, Anne, face the facts. You know I'm right," said Sasha, as she attacked Anne again. "Marcy is probably dead, and Luz… Even if she is alive, do you think she wants to see you?"
Those words had an effect on Anne, who for a moment let her guard down. Sasha took advantage and swung her sword right at Anne. The blow struck Anne on her arm, with her arm guard luckily absorbing most of the impact. Still, the strike rattled Anne almost as much as the words.
"No… Why? …No…" said Anne, beginning to falter.
"Anne, don't listen to her!" called Sprig
"So what if your other friends are dead or don't want to see you?" called Polly. "We still care about you, Anne! You still have us!"
"Don't let Sasha mess with you!" called Sprig again.
"Shut up, you two!" yelled Sasha at Sprig and Polly.
"They're right, Anne," called Hop Pop. "You can't let Sasha get inside your head like that! We'll find your friends, and if we don't, then you still have us. You'll always have us!"
Sasha tried again, "After what you said to Luz about not wanting to be friends, I bet she'd do worse to you than me. Face it, Anne, I'm your only hope for getting home!"
"After what I said?" said Anne, realization dawning on her. "You were the one who told me to say that to her! I asked you for advice on what to do about Luz, and you were the one who said I should tell her we weren't friends anymore."
"Hey, I just gave you advice," said Sasha. "It was still you who told her you didn't want to be friends."
"I'd rather be friends with Luz than you!" shouted Anne, putting as much venom as she could into those words.
This time, it was Sasha who was distracted upon hearing those words. She let her guard down, allowing Anne to strike her, though her armor protected her from the blow. Sasha charged again and, hoping to catch her unaware, took off her cape and threw it at Anne, blocking her vision. Sasha then did a leg sweep, tripping her and causing her to fall to the floor. Sasha pointed her sword at Anne as she emerged from the cape.
"They're just slimy little frogs, Anne. They don't matter!" exclaimed Sasha, her blade pointed right at Anne.
"They're not just frogs," began Anne, before finding a reserve of inner strength she didn't know she possessed. "They're my FRIENDS!" In one swift motion, Anne swung her sword against Sasha's, disarming her.
Anne stood up over Sasha, the frogs cheering behind her, as their champion had won!
"It's over, Sash!" exclaimed Anne. "You're not gonna push me around anymore."
Sasha could only stare at Anne, dumbfounded.
"So, how about it, big guy?" said Anne to Grime. "We're free, right?"
"Yeah, I don't think so," replied Grime, who, in one swift motion, opened his mouth and shot out his tongue, grabbing Hop Pop and pulling him over.
"Pretty cool, huh?" said Grime. "This ends now!" Though before he could drop him off the tower into the jaws of the plant, the tower began to shake. After a few seconds of shaking, the tower actually started to collapse. The toads quickly hurried to vacate the collapsing tower, but Grime tried to keep them in check.
"Hold ranks!" he exclaimed. "Where are you going, you cowardssssss?!" His last word extended a bit as the ground came out from under him. Before he fell, Hop Pop was able to jump clear.
"Eh, never liked that guy," said Hop Pop before turning his attention to the frogs. "Everyone, come on! Get off the roof, quick!" He opened the door that led from the roof back down the tower. The frogs from Wartwood quickly obeyed, and within minutes, they had all fled the tower.
In the confusion of the collapse, Anne had lost track of Sasha. It wasn't until Sasha almost fell that Anne saw her. Anne moved to try to grab Sasha, and she managed to stop her from falling, but only barely.
"I've got you, Sash. You're gonna be okay," said Anne as she struggled to pull Sasha back up. But her feet slipped, and Anne slid towards the edge. She planted her feet and tried her best not to slide forward, but she couldn't manage it.
"Can't hold on much longer," said Anne as she slid forward.
"Don't worry, I've got you," said Sprig as he grabbed Anne's feet, trying to prevent her from falling. Sprig, however, wasn't strong enough to pull both Anne and Sasha. Thankfully, at that moment, Hop Pop and Polly joined the human chain in an effort to rescue both Anne and Sasha. But unbeknownst to them, the ledge around where they had gathered began to crack. Polly was far enough back that she noticed and tried to inform the others.
"Uh, guys, I think we have a situation!" said Polly, trying to direct their attention to the crumbling ledge.
"Hey, hey, look at me! Look at me," said Anne to Sasha. "Everything's gonna be totally fine! Just hang on!"
Sasha had noticed the crumbling ledge and realized that Anne and her frog family were putting their own lives in danger to save hers. She had just tried to have Hop Pop killed and tried to kill Anne for standing up to her, yet here they were risking their lives for her. Sasha knew in the back of her mind that if they continued to try to pull her up, it would only result in all of their deaths, so she decided to try to do the right thing for the sake of her friend. Knowing that it might well cost her life, she also thought it was time to confess something before she fell.
"Hey, Anne," began Sasha. "Listen, that night at the dance… I was the one who told Luz to dance with you. I saw how she was looking at you, and I was hoping she'd do something stupid. I was also the one who told Ms. Bryant what had happened. I was trying to cause some drama between you and Luz."
"What?!" said Anne, surprised. "Why are you telling me this? It doesn't matter now!"
"Yes, it does!" said Sasha.
"Why?" asked Anne,
"Because, maybe…" began Sasha, "you're better off without me…"
Anne barely had time to register what Sasha was implying before she felt the grip from Sasha's hand on her own slacken. In one instant, Sasha had let go of her hand and was now plummeting to her death.
"NO!" was all Anne could say as she watched Sasha's body fall towards its inevitable death.
Before she hit the ground, though, she was saved by Grime, who made an incredible leap to catch Sasha. He caught her and used a knife to slide down the wall of the mostly destroyed tower, landing softly with Sasha in tow. She seemed to be alright, but it was clear that she had been injured and would no doubt need some time to recover. Grime glared back at Anne, shooting her a menacing look before departing with the rest of the toads to parts unknown.
For her part, Anne couldn't think of what to say or what to do. She just stood there, staring off in the direction that Sasha had gone, unable to put into words what she was thinking. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Sprig came up to check on Anne.
"Anne, are you okay?" asked Sprig nervously.
"Oh yeah," she began. "Never felt…" But she couldn't finish that sentence and finally broke down crying as the emotional weight of everything that had happened to her finally hit her full force! Sprig wrapped his arms around Anne, trying to comfort her, and soon Hop Pop and Polly came over to offer comfort to Anne as well. Anne cried for a very long time, trying to cope with what had happened between her and Sasha, while also trying to absorb the final bit of information Sasha had shared with her before the fall.
It was a long time before she moved from that spot.
"Well, I said I'd believe it when I see it," began Uodeela as she looked at the wreckage of Toad Tower. "I'm seeing it, and it's still hard to believe."
"As soon as I heard the news, I knew I had to pass it on to you and that you had to see it for yourself," said a blue frog standing next to Uodeela.
"I'm sorry for doubting you, but still, to think Toad Tower has fallen and Grime and his forces are gone. How did this come to happen?" asked Uodeela.
"I don't know," answered the frog. "I only know that it happened, and quite suddenly, I might add. But I haven't heard any details as to who did it or how it was done in the first place."
"And the plant monster," began Uodeela. "Is it dead?"
"Yes, I already checked myself," said the frog. "Good riddance!"
"Hmmm, I wonder," began Uodeela. "If the Toads left in a hurry, they may not have had time to take everything with them."
With that, Uodeela closed her eyes, and when she reopened them, they were glowing red. With a wave of her hand, she enveloped many of the rocks and stones around the tower in a red glow, then effortlessly moved them out of the way. Before long, she had revealed an entrance to a lower basement.
"Let's see if there's any good treasure left behind," she said as she descended the stairs.
As Uodeela and the frog went down into the darkened basement, Uodeela used her magic to summon orbs of light. She sent them across the room to every corner to light up the room. As the lights settled in place, they began to reveal various objects. There was a large weapon cache, barrels of various meads and ales, and a few large bags of coins.
"Yes!" exclaimed Uodeela, referring to the bags of coins. "This is what I was hoping to find."
"Looks like the latest collection of taxes," said the frog. "Lucky us! They hadn't sent them off to Newtopia yet. There's plenty here for us to distribute back to the people. Hmm, now what's that over there?"
Uodeela followed where the frog was pointing and noticed what looked like a stone tablet of some kind. She drew closer to the tablet and gasped!
"It can't be," said Uodeela softly.
"What is it?" asked the frog.
Uodeela began carefully reading the tablet to make sure it was what she thought it was.
"It's the other half of the Elixir of Life," said Uodeela. "How on earth did the toads get it?"
"Ah, who cares about that?" said the frog in excitement. "What matters is that you have it now, and I believe you mentioned that you have the other one, yes?"
"I do. Valeriana gave it to me," replied Uodeela.
"So, does this mean you will be able to brew it?" asked the frog.
"I suppose so. If I can get all the ingredients, then it shouldn't be a problem," said Uodeela. "The thing is, there's no way to test it without… well, dying. So I better hope I brew it right."
"So the rumors are true, then," said the frog. "No way to know it works unless you die."
"That's why even among witches, there were few who tried to make it," explained Uodeela. "Most were simply too nervous about preparing it wrong, but I've lived longer than most, and I had some of the best teachers ever. I'm fairly certain I can brew this elixir correctly, then it's just a matter of holding onto it in case the worst ever happens."
"I see," said the frog. "In any event, this is certainly a momentous occasion. Toad Tower has fallen, Grime and his forces are gone, and you've found the other half of the Elixir of Life. Oh, and actually, I have more good news for you."
"More good news?" asked Uodeela.
"Yes, I went to Wartwood to look into that creature as you asked me to," said the frog. "Turns out she is human, and she calls herself Anne."
"I see," said Uodeela seriously.
"I thought you'd be happier about that," said the frog.
"In a way, I am. I needed to know for certain if it was a human and needed to know her name, so thank you for clearing that up," said Uodeela. "But now, I'm going to have to tell Luz the truth. It wouldn't be right to keep this information from her."
"Is that really so bad?" asked the frog.
"I'm worried about how she'll react," said Uodeela. "Luz has come a long way, so I hope that she'll take it in stride."
"I suppose that's all you can hope for," said the frog. "But getting back to Grime, what's our next move to deal with him?"
"Our next move is to figure out where Grime and his forces went," said Uodeela. "I didn't see Grime's body anywhere, and there are too few corpses around the tower for his entire army to have died in its destruction, so it begs the question, where did they go?"
When Sasha awoke, she found herself in a tent of some kind. The first thing she realized was that she was in pain. Although she had survived her fall, the fight had taken a toll on her body. Not only that but as she felt her cheek, she noticed the scar Anne had given her during the fight was still there. Sasha tried to push it out of her mind and stood up from the bed. Her muscles were sore, and she felt the pain in her body as she tried to move. Nonetheless, she forced herself to walk outside, where she saw Grime talking to the toads.
"Now, let's not be hasty here," he said. "I know things look bad, but we can recover from this minor setback."
"Minor setback?" growled Bog. "We've lost the tower! And all thanks to your stupid lieutenant."
"It was a bad idea to invite the frogs over," agreed Fens. "We could have saved time by attacking Wartwood ourselves. Sasha's plan was terrible."
"Her plan almost worked," said Grime, "and I assure you that once she's recovered, we'll come up with a new and even better plan."
"Yeah, he's right," said Sasha, walking into the group of toads, causing all of them, including Grime, to turn their attention to her.
"Ah, lieutenant," said Grime. "Are you sure you should be up and about? It's okay if you need more time to recover. I was just discussing our next move with the troops."
"No, it's fine, Grime," said Sasha. "In fact, I already know what our next plan is."
"Uh, you do?" said Grime with hesitancy. He hadn't talked about forming any new plans with Sasha.
"Yes, I do. Remember when you told me about that witch who was causing you problems?" said Sasha.
"Oh, you mean Uodeela?" replied Grime. "What about her?"
"Our next move is going to be to take her down and set up a new base at Tadpole Pond!" exclaimed Sasha.
All the toads gathered had a look of pure confusion on their faces upon hearing this. Bog once again spoke up.
"Okay, maybe I didn't hear you correctly," he said, "but did you just say you want us to fight Uodeela and take over Tadpole Pond? I assume this is a joke of some kind. We just lost our tower, and you want us to go and pick a fight with one of the most powerful witches in all the land? Don't you think if we could beat Uodeela, we would have done so years ago?"
"Uh, yes, my lieutenant is clearly suffering some form of brain damage," said Grime, trying to cover for Sasha.
"No, I'm not," said Sasha forcefully. "I've thought about it, and I think this is the right move to make."
The toads began murmuring amongst themselves, clearly not convinced that they could hope to triumph over the witch of the wilds.
"Lieutenant," growled Grime through gritted teeth, "may I see you in the tent, please?" Sasha stood still in defiance, not moving into the tent. Grime made another growl, and she finally acquiesced.
"Okay, let me have the medic take another look at you," began Grime, "because you clearly are not fully recovered. What the hell are you saying?"
"Look, we just lost the tower," began Sasha. "Obviously, we need a new base of operations. You told me Tadpole Pond is one of the only areas not under your control."
"Yes, and the reason for that is that Uodeela serves as its unofficial protector," said Grime. "Bog is right; we are in a weakened position after losing the tower. It makes no sense for us to attack a stronger adversary."
"Listen, Grime," began Sasha, "I heard what was going on out there. The toads are beginning to doubt our ability to lead. This is exactly why we need to attack Tadpole Pond. Firstly, it will get rid of an enemy that you said has been stealing from you for years. Secondly, it will let us establish a new base where we can recover and maybe eventually exert control over the valley again. Finally, it proves to the toads that we are still a force to be reckoned with."
"All good points," said Grime, "but it still doesn't solve the actual problem of HOW we conquer Tadpole Pond. Trust me when I say Uodeela can fight off a whole army. If we are seriously going to consider taking that town over, we need a way to deal with her."
"We can work out the details later," said Sasha. "All we need for now is for the Toads to believe we can win! If we present the plan to them the way I just presented it to you, then we can rally them to this cause. As for how we deal with Uodeela, we can work that out as we get closer to the town. You can tell me everything you know about her and how her magic works, and I can figure out a plan for dealing with her."
"I don't like this," said Grime. "We're risking a lot by attacking her. If this goes bad, it could cost us everything."
"Do you have any better ideas?" asked Sasha.
Grime paused for a long time, unable to come up with anything.
"Then this is the plan we go with. Let's go tell the toads," said Sasha.