The toad soldiers of the Southern Tower looked nervously at the sky as the king's castle floated overhead. Many of them had been unwilling witnesses to the castle's destructive potential and had seen it destroy the other towers. Although they knew that none of them had been involved in the rebellion against the King, they worried that Andrias wouldn't care and would take revenge on them, anyway. Bog stood out at the top of the tower, looking through his telescope, not saying anything. Eventually, another toad in armor wearing a helm came up to him.
"There hasn't been any activity from the castle," said the toad. "No one knows why it's here or what Andrias wants."
"Well, we can't exactly fly up to him," said Bog, "so until he sends someone here, I guess we just have to wait."
"The toads are getting restless, though," said the toad. "We're not sure what we should be doing right now."
"Listen, Mire," said Bog, finally identifying the other toad, "I'm in charge now! Last I heard from Jacinda, we're supposed to wait for further orders from the King himself, so that's what we're gonna do."
No sooner had Bog said this than suddenly, a strange object flew down from the castle to the top of the tower where he was standing. Bog wasn't sure what it was, though it looked familiar. He couldn't quite remember where he had seen it before. As it came closer, he could see it was a large, metallic, frog-looking thing. It hovered in front of him before projecting something out of its eye. The image from its eye came into focus to reveal King Andrias.
"What's new, Bog?" he asked in a jovial tone. "Or should I say, Captain Bog, Lord of the Southern Tower? I must say, that's quite a promotion for you!"
Bog was caught off guard by the King's upbeat tone but did his best to respond. "Uh, well, I haven't had much trouble settling in. In fact, I'm glad you're here. We built the new tower and have been waiting for your next instructions for a while now. Do you still need us to collect taxes from the towns?"
"No, we aren't really concerned about taxes any more," said Andrias dismissively. "I don't much have a use for them now that I have better, more efficient means of producing soldiers, like this one." Andrias indicated the frobot.
"This thing is a soldier?" said Bog as he looked over the frobot in amazement.
"Why don't you show him what you can do?" said Andrias to the frobot.
The frobot looked over at a large tree and fired its laser at it. The tree was destroyed in an instant. Bog's eyes lit up at the sight.
"Wow! That thing really packs a punch, don't it?" he said.
"Yes, it certainly does," said Andrias.
"Well, uh, I guess my next question is, what do you need us to do?" asked Bog with some hesitation. "Seems to me like you got no need for enforcers; what with these, uh… What did you say they're called?"
"Robots," clarified Andrias. "And don't be ridiculous Bog. Of course, I still need you."
"But you just said you ain't collecting taxes no more," said Bog, confused.
"I said that I don't need taxes anymore," said Andrias, "but there's no reason you can't still collect them for yourself."
Bog pondered that statement. Andrias continued.
"Right now, I am very busy putting certain plans into motion, so I don't have time to deal with the day-to-day running of the kingdom, but that's where you and your non-traitorous toads come into play."
"Yeah, uh, just want to make it clear I had nothing to do with whatever Grime and the others were planning," said Bog, quickly bringing up his hands in a sign of contrition. He had seen the laser from Andrias's castle fire at each of the other towers in Amphibia, instantly destroying them.
"I know you didn't," said Andrias matter-of-factly, before switching to a much firmer tone. "That's the only reason your tower is still standing."
Bog gulped as he heard that.
"But that's also why I'm here," continued Andrias. "I need some toads I can trust to deal with another different rebellion. I've heard reports of a group of frogs amassing in Wartwood. I need you and your toads to deal with them."
"Okay," said Bog. "And just to be sure, we'll be paid for this, right?"
"No," said Andrias plainly, "but you can feel free to take anything you want from those frogs after you get rid of them. Once you've done that, you have free rein to take whatever you want from Wartwood or any other village in the South. As I said, I may not have a need for taxes, but you can keep collecting them, and now you can keep it all for yourself. Is that agreeable?"
Bog thought for a few seconds before replying. "Yeah, I think we can make that work."
"Good to hear!" replied Andrias. "Oh, and, uh, one more thing. I want you to be on the lookout for something I lost from the castle. I take it you are aware of humans, right?"
Bog thought for a moment before replying. "Humans… Ain't that what Sasha was?"
"Yes, exactly," said Andrias. "The creatures I'm looking for look similar to humans. The big difference is their ears."
The screen changed, and an image of three figures appeared. They did remind Bog of humans, though he noticed how their ears were pointy.
"These creatures escaped from my palace. They were crucial to certain plans I had," explained Andrias. "I don't care what you do with the frogs, but I need these creatures returned UNHARMED." He made sure to emphasize that last part. Bog nodded to show he understood.
"I don't know where they currently are," continued Andrias. "My guess is they're making their way to Wartwood to join up with the frogs there. If you return them to me, I'll make sure and make it worth your while."
"Got it," said Bog.
"Oh, I have something that can help you accomplish this task," said Andrias, clapping his hands. As he did, a figure leaped from the palace. Bog watched as it fell hard. Even though it hit the ground, it didn't seem injured at all. It quickly used its long, lanky arms to climb up the outside of the tower and make its way to the top. It was another robot, though it was different from the one hovering in front of him. This one was sleeker, with claws at the ends of its hands, and it had a more sinister look in its eyes.
"This is Cloak-bot," said Andrias. "He captured the witches the first time and took a bit of beating, but I've fixed him up. You can use him to help if you need it."
"Okay, uh, thanks," said Bog, still taken aback by the robots.
"Good, keep me updated. Andrias out," said Andrias. With that, the screen disappeared, and the robot flew back up to the castle. Bog turned to Mire.
"Assemble the troops!" he commanded.
Far away, in another part of Amphibia, Lilly and the witches were slowly making their way to Wartwood. They took care to travel carefully and tried to stay under the trees so that they wouldn't be easily detected. No matter how far they traveled, they could see the king's castle hovering in the sky. They were especially cautious whenever it seemed closer to them. Thankfully, as the group stopped to rest, they could see it was far away from them on the horizon. Alyssa came up to her husband and made a spell circle, bringing it over to his heart.
"Now that our bile isn't being drained anymore, we've started to replenish it," she said as she moved the circle over her husband's heart, healing him. "Still, it will probably take a few days for us to get back into tip-top shape. I want to make sure that all those injections didn't leave any permanent holes in any of our bile sacs."
"I think I feel better," said Vincent, as he felt the healing pulsations inside him. Alyssa moved over to Raine and repeated the motion over their chest.
"Thank you," said Raine as Alyssa healed their bile sac. "I can't wait until we're back to full strength."
"Do you think the King will send another metal abomination after us?" asked Vincent with worry in his voice.
"If he does, hopefully, we'll be in a better position to fight it," said Raine.
"So, where are we headed, Lilly?" asked Alyssa, turning to the frog.
Lilly didn't answer. She found herself looking up at the castle in the sky, her face full of regret.
"Lilly?" repeated Alyssa, coming over to the frog. She placed her hand on Lilly's shoulder, causing the blue frog to be startled.
"Ahh!" exclaimed Lilly.
"Sorry," said Alyssa, bringing up her hands. "I just wanted to ask where we're going."
"Oh, right," said Lilly, snapping herself back to reality. "We're making our way to Wartwood. It's a town in the southern area of Amphibia. My father should be there, along with the rest of the frog army. We fought against the toads to stop them from taking over the city. We should be safe there. Plus, we have to tell my dad what we learned about Andrias."
"Do you honestly think your dad can stop him?" asked Vincent.
"I don't know," answered Lilly, hanging her head, "but we should be safe with him, at least for now."
Lilly looked back up at the sky and the king's castle. The witches looked at each other. They had an idea of what was wrong with her, especially after what had happened the first night when they escaped. The witches remembered how Lilly had that nightmare of something terrible happening to Amity and how she had thrown her sword against the wall in anger and frustration. Raine came over to Lilly and did their best to comfort her.
"Lilly, listen," began Raine. "You had to leave. There was no choice."
Lilly didn't respond, so Raine kept talking.
"Please don't beat yourself up about what happened. You saved us," said Raine. "It's because of you that we're here now."
"I promised I'd save her," whispered Lilly.
This time, it was Raine who was silent. Lilly continued.
"I promised Amity that I'd get her out of there when the time was right, and I failed her. That poor girl was so scared and lonely. The three of you at least had each other, but Amity was separated from you and all by herself."
The witches all looked at her, not sure what to say in response to that. After some time, Lilly spoke again.
"Come on, we have to keep moving," she said in a dispirited voice. The witches followed her as they continued making their way toward Wartwood.
Over the next few days, they continued their journey, stopping for the night and taking care to find a safe space to rest. The three witches talked with each other and Lilly, telling her about their world, their home, and how magic worked. Lilly, in turn, told them about Amphibia and what was happening with the King. Still, she always seemed distracted when she talked. She found herself occasionally glancing up at the castle that floated in the sky. Every time she did, she wondered about Amity and hoped she was okay. Lilly tried her best to stay optimistic, but in the back of her mind, she couldn't let go of the fact that she had failed to rescue the young witch. Raine did their best to assure the frog that she had made the right choice and promised that once they regrouped with her father and explained what had happened, they would come up with some plan to rescue both Amity and Marcy.
The witches were interested in Lilly and her sword. Lilly explained about the sword and how it had granted her magical abilities, and she also told them about Uodeela and her gem. Lilly demonstrated a few elemental spells she had learned. She explained how, while magic did exist in Amphibia, it was much different from what the witches had described magic as being like in their world. Lilly went on to explain how rare it was to find magic users and how the salamanders seemed to vanish with no trace.
"So, the magic in your world consists mainly of potions and curses?" asked Raine, intrigued.
"Yes," answered Lilly. "I had recently learned how to make potions from Uodeela. She also taught us about curses, though only the basics."
"You have curses here too?" asked Alyssa. "Are the curses in your land permanent?"
"They can be. In Amphibia, if you cast a curse on someone, it's permanent, but it can be removed by the caster," answered Lilly.
"Hmmm, interesting," said Raine, stroking their chin.
After many days of travel, the group stopped for the night. They were about to get ready for bed when Raine spotted a fire burning a short distance away. The group decided to investigate, and as they got closer, they saw it was a gathering of different species, though mostly newts. They were gathered around a fire, talking to each other.
"So, anyone know what's going on?" asked one of the group. "Why's the King's castle floating in the sky?"
"No idea," answered another, "but without the King there, Newtopia has fallen into chaos. Some soldiers in the city tried to enforce order, but it didn't work. This time, newts started looting and raiding the city, and a lot of others fled."
"I used to live in Newtopia," said an older frog in the group. "Had my own restaurant, then a small factory that produced my signature sauce. I was living the high life in the city, for sure, but with all the chaos in the city, there's no one buying sauce anymore. Figured it was best to leave."
"I was one of the toughest competitors in the smash and mash derby," said another, a rather large and burly newt. "I got no idea as to what's going on, but I just know it ain't safe for me or my daughter to stay in the city."
"I was a butler for a high-class family in Newtopia," said a green frog in a tattered suit. "I fled during the toad rebellion while my employers hid in a panic room."
"I used to work at the Hemisphere Hotel," said a third, a pink newt wearing a hotel uniform. "A month ago, my biggest concern was how I was going to pay off all my student loans. Now I just wonder how I'm going to live."
"We're all concerned about that," said another. "But hey, at least we've got each other here."
"I just wish I knew what was going on," said the pink newt. "I also wish we had somewhere to be that was a little less… exposed."
"I hear there are a few groups of scavengers that formed," said a newt. "They're composed of all species, but they're little more than bandits."
"I sure hope we don't run into them," said the frog.
"Um, excuse me," called Lilly, deciding to get their attention.
The group all turned toward the voice to see a small blue frog in a silver breastplate with a blue cloak and a sword attached to her belt. She quickly brought her hands together in a show of peace.
"Please, I didn't mean to intrude," said Lilly. "I saw the light from your fire and wanted to see who was there."
The group looked at each other. They didn't feel threatened by the frog and allowed her to approach.
"I hear you want to go someplace safer," continued Lilly. "I know a place we can go if you'd like to join me and my companions."
"Companions?" said a newt. "I only see you."
Lilly motioned for the witches to step forward, and they did so. A few in the group let out a gasp, though some took their appearance in stride.
"Are these those strange creatures I've been hearing so much about?" asked the frog.
"Oh, yeah, I've heard of them. They're called humus," said the large newt. "One of them humus beat me in the smash derby. so they must be pretty tough!"
"Actually, these aren't humans," said Lilly to the group, "though they are also from another world like the humans you've heard of. These are witches from the Demon Realm."
The group whispered to each other as they processed this new information.
"So, where exactly are you headed?" asked the pink newt.
"We're going to Wartwood," answered Lilly. "My father is there, along with a large group of frogs. In fact, they were the ones who fought the toads in Newtopia."
"Really?" said the large, burly newt. "I heard about a group of frogs standing up to the toads. You all must be pretty tough."
"I saw that castle blast out some strange and bizarre weapon. He destroyed the North Tower in one blow!" said the frog in the tattered suit. "How can you hope to stop Andrias when he has technology like that?"
"I don't know," answered Lilly, "but it would still be safer for us all to stay together. Maybe we can think of some way to stop him."
"You said you're heading to Wartwood?" asked the elder frog. "Why, I'm originally from there! Spent most of my young life in that town before moving to the city. I've got an old friend who lives there." The elderly frog stepped forward, offering his hand to Lilly.
"The name's Sal," said the frog, introducing himself. "Sal Ami. It's been forever since I've been back in Wartwood. If that's where you're headed, I'd be honored to join ya!"
"I'm Bella," said the pink newt, stepping forward to introduce herself.
"Jamack," said the green frog.
"I'm Priscilla Paddock," said the large, burly newt. "If you're thinking of fighting against Andrias, you're gonna need someone like me on your side! Oh, and this is my daughter, Pearl."
"Hi!" said a small newt, who was resting on her mother's shoulder.
"So, what's the story with them?" asked Sal, pointing to the witches.
Raine began to explain. "Our story is that your King Andrias has some kind of device that grants him access to other worlds. He used that device to kidnap us from our world."
"We're witches," said Alyssa. "As I understand it, Andrias kidnapped us to learn how we did magic."
"Oh, you can do magic?" said Pearl excitedly. "Let me see, let me see!"
Vincent made a spell circle with his finger. He slammed his hand into the ground and brought up a large rock, letting it float in the air. The group gasped as they saw this. Vincent made another spell circle and pulled another rock from the ground. He held both in his hands for a few seconds before tossing them forward.
"Wow!" exclaimed Pearl. "You're almost as strong as my mom."
Vincent looked offended by that comment, but he took it in stride.
"Well, I suppose staying together would be more beneficial," said Sal. "You all look plenty capable."
The others shook their heads in agreement. They kept talking for a bit longer before getting ready for bed. Before they did, they set up a rotating watch so that someone could keep a lookout for any danger. Lilly volunteered to take the first watch. She kept the fire going, occasionally stoking it to keep it going. Lilly had a lot on her mind and hadn't been sleeping well the past few nights, anyway. She would often volunteer to keep watch over Raine, Vincent, and Alyssa, feeling that they needed sleep more than she did. Again, she found herself staring at the castle in the sky. It was fortunately far away, towards the edge of the horizon, though as she looked into the sky, she saw a figure fly through it. At first, she thought it was a large predator, but it seemed too small. Again, the figure flew over their campsite, and this time it let out a screech. Lilly was sure it was a bird of some kind, yet it looked weird—not like any bird she knew.
Lilly clutched her sword carefully and again looked into the sky. She heard a loud screech that unnerved her, causing her to draw her sword. She heard the screech again and tried to find where it had come from. Finally, a figure dropped out of the sky a few feet away, out of the light of the fire. Lilly pointed her sword at the figure as the figure came closer, and after a few steps, it finally came into the light of the fire and Lilly could see what it was…
Emmanuel knocked on the door of the basement. He waited until he eventually heard Sasha tell him to come in. He slowly opened the door and went down. Sasha was sitting at a makeshift desk, working on something.
"How's the mask coming?" he asked casually.
"I think I'm almost done," answered Sasha, as she continued to work on her mask.
Emmanuel paused before saying, "You know when I first heard about you and how you were able to get the Southern Tower running effectively, I have to say, I imagined a fierce and effective leader in my mind. I didn't realize at the time that you were only thirteen."
"You know, I actually might be fourteen by now," said Sasha awkwardly. "I mean, so much time has passed here in Amphibia. I'm pretty sure Luz is fourteen, too."
"Well, the point is that I imagined that you were a lot different. I didn't realize how young you were," said Emmanuel, "and well, one thing about being young is that you're a lot more likely to make mistakes."
Sasha didn't answer and kept working on her project. After a few minutes, Emmanuel spoke again.
"Sometimes, those mistakes can lead to dire consequences and often regret, but regret isn't necessarily bad if you learn something from it."
"I have learned a lot, actually. I learned not to give in to jealousy; I learned that trying to control people only leads to hurting them; and I learned that trusting strange voices in your head can lead to very bad things," said Sasha flatly. She finally turned around from her chair. Emmanuel's eyes focused on the scar on her face. It was the same as the day when she had first gotten it—a thin triangle that started on her cheek and stretched up over her eye, with the point finally ending above her eye. Maddie had tried a few different potions and ointments to remove it, but none of them had worked.
As Sasha turned around, she held up a mask in her hands, one she had been carving at the desk. The mask was in the shape of a heron's face. It looked very much like Uodeela and even had some of her feathers attached to the top of it.
"I think it turned out great," said Sasha. "What do you think?"
Emmanuel looked at the mask before replying, "It looks good, but do you really feel you need it?"
"I don't know if Anne, Luz, and the others will make it back here, but I hope they do," began Sasha. "And if they do, I… I don't want them to see my face, at least not at first."
Sasha brought her hand to her face and rubbed her scar. She could barely feel the difference between her normal skin and the scar, but every time she looked in the mirror, it always stood out. A stark reminder of who she was and what she had done in the past.
"Listen, I know you don't like how it looks, but I think once you tell Anne and the others everything that's happened, they won't hold any ill will against you," said Emmanuel. "I promise that I will tell them how you courageously helped cure Uodeela. I'm sure Luz will forgive you once she hears what you did."
"It's my fault Uodeela was cursed in the first place," said Sasha in a low voice, "and it's my fault Luz was almost killed."
"Sasha…" began Emmanuel, "I know you've done things you aren't proud of, but I've seen you try to make amends for them. Hell, I almost killed Grime, even though Valeriana warned me not to. Imagine if I had. Who knows what would have happened? I'm glad I wasn't able to, and I will freely admit that it was a mistake on my part."
"Yeah, but that's just it," said Sasha. "You were lucky not to have gone through with it. Me? I made my mistakes, and both Anne and Luz saw me at my worst because of that. Maybe I wasn't able to kill Hop Pop, but Anne knew I wanted to, and Luz—" Sasha paused.
"Luz saw me stand there with a smile on my face as Grime and the toads beat Uodeela to death," finished Sasha, a tone of extreme bitterness in her voice as she said that last part.
"And then you helped to cure her," said Emmanuel quickly. "Maybe she's still a bit angry towards you and Grime, but I think as long as you keep showing her how much you've changed, she'll warm up to you, eventually."
At that moment, the door opened and Percy came in.
"Emmanuel," he began, "Uodeela is back, and she brought a group with her."
Sasha and Emmanuel looked at each other, wondering who this group could be. The two got up and made their way outside. As Emmanuel looked over the group, one member of it immediately caught his eye.
"Lilly!" he exclaimed, running toward her.
"Dad!" said Lilly, jumping into her father's arms. The two shared a long hug together.
"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" said Emmanuel, hugging his daughter tightly.
"It's so good to see you again, Dad," said Lilly. "I have so much to tell you, but first, you have to tell me what happened to Uodeela."
"Well, that's a bit of a story," began Emmanuel, "but the short version is that Gustav and Maddie were able to brew up an elixir to at least partially cure her."
Uodeela made a screech, causing the two to turn towards her. She still bore a somewhat birdlike appearance, but instead of being a giant red heron, Uodeela was smaller and more humanoid. She looked much more like a bird person still covered in red feathers. She still had a beak, wings, eyes, and claws like a heron, but was closer in size to her regular salamander form.
Uodeela screeched again, but almost immediately covered her mouth. She went inside the Plantar house to grab something.
"She can't talk," said Emmanuel. "When she's around us, she makes sure to carry a notepad and pen so she can write down what she wants to say. I guess she forgot to take it with her when she went out to scout around."
"I wasn't sure at first if it was really her," said Lilly, "since she couldn't talk and didn't have a way to write. But I asked her some 'yes or no' questions, and she moved her head, so I was able to communicate with her in that way."
A moment later, the door opened, and Gustav, Maddie, and Uodeela came out of the house. Gustav ran straight towards Lilly.
"You're okay!" he said as the two hugged. "I thought Teach might be able to find you. She's still getting used to her new form, but thankfully, she can still fly with it. Plus, she has the heron's eyes, which lets her see more when she's up in the air."
"Honestly, I'm kind of jealous," said Maddie. "Teach seems to have the best of both worlds. She's got the abilities of the heron but still has her mind, well, aside from the whole not being able to talk thing."
Uodeela again screeched, though this time, as she did, she also wrote something on her notepad. After she finished, she turned it so the others could read it. Sarcasm is a lot harder to convey in written words.
"Oh, by the way, this is Maddie," said Gustav, introducing the frog to Lilly. "She helped me make the elixir that cured Uodeela."
"Pleased to meet you, Maddie," said Lilly, offering her hand. "Gustav and I studied magic with Uodeela."
"Yeah, me too," said Maddie, shaking her hand. "I was her student before the three of you."
"Oh, hey, speaking of the three of us," said Gustav as he realized something, "where's Amara? I thought she might be with you."
"No, she's not," said Lilly sadly. "She's with Luz, Anne, and the Plantars in the human world."
"Sasha said she was with them," said Gustav. "While I didn't think she was lying, it's good to have it confirmed by you. Hope she's okay in the human world."
"There's a lot I need to tell you," said Lilly. "Let's get inside and I'll—"
"I heard Uodeela was back," said a voice from inside, a voice Lilly instantly recognized. As the door opened and Grime came out of it, Lilly's eyes narrowed on him.
"Grime!" exclaimed Lilly, drawing her sword. Grime's face fell as he saw Lilly look at him. Lilly immediately leaped at Grime and attempted to strike him. Grime dodged the attack and put up his hands defensively.
"Whoa, hey! Wait, a minute—" began Grime.
Lilly didn't reply and kept up her attack, trying to strike him again.
"Lilly, stop!" pleaded her father. "Grime is working with us."
"Dad, are you serious?!" asked Lilly in anger. "You're working with Grime?! He killed mom, and you're working with him?!"
"Listen, please," begged Emmanuel. "A lot has happened here, but right now, Grime isn't our enemy."
Uodeela let out a screech and tried to stand in front of Lilly to protect Grime.
"You too, Master?" said Lilly in anger. "You're defending Grime too?"
Uodeela screeched again, forgetting she couldn't talk. Lilly leaped over her and charged at Grime again.
Sasha joined in Grime's defense, trying to stop Lilly from attacking him. "Grime really has changed! Please don't hurt him."
Lilly let out a growl as she heard that, charging again at Grime. Surprisingly, he made no move to fight her and only kept dodging Lilly's attacks. After he dodged another, Lilly brought up her hand and thrust it forward, shooting a stream of water at Grime and knocking him down. Lilly made a motion with her hand and the water around Grime closed in on him, trapping him in a bubble filled with water. Lilly raised her hand and closed it into a fist; the bubble floated off the ground with Grime trapped inside. Grime began desperately trying to escape the bubble, but he couldn't. He was holding his breath but knew that he couldn't forever. At this point, Sasha stepped in front of Lilly.
"STOP, PLEASE!" begged Sasha.
"GRIME KILLED MY MOTHER!" yelled Lilly in a raw, desperate voice, tears streaming down her face as she said that. "It's time he met the same fate!"
"No! Please! I'm begging you, don't hurt him," pleaded Sasha, falling to her knees.
Those words affected Lilly, as they were the same ones she had said when she begged for her mother's life. In her mind, she flashed back to that moment, three years ago, atop Toad Tower. As she looked straight at Sasha, she didn't see Sasha but instead saw an eleven-year-old version of herself staring back at her. Lilly was unnerved by this, but couldn't immediately let go of her hatred. Inside the bubble, Grime's face turned red as he desperately tried to hold his breath. Lilly looked from Grime's struggling face to Sasha's, the girl's face again reminding her of herself.
"Please, I'm begging you, don't hurt him," repeated Sasha to Lilly, tears streaming down her face.
After a few more moments, she finally relented and opened her fist, causing the bubble to break and water to splash everywhere. Grime fell to the ground and let out a huge gasp of air. Sasha came over to him and helped him up; the toad was still struggling to breathe. Lilly fell to her knees and began sobbing.
Uodeela and Emmanuel came over to Lilly and hugged her, trying to calm her down. Grime and Sasha looked at each other and then back at Lilly, neither of them sure of what to say. After regaining her composure and wiping the tears from her face, Lilly walked up to Grime and pointed her sword at him.
"I don't know what's going on or why my dad suddenly trusts you," she said to Grime, "but if you do anything suspicious that makes me think you're going to harm my dad or any other frog, then I will end you! I'm not the same scared little frog who stood by and watched as you shoved my mom off the tower. This is your only warning, Grime!"
"You know, technically, it wasn't me who—" began Grime before being instantly cut off by Sasha.
"Grime, shut up!" said Sasha in a serious voice, her eyes flashing between Grime and Lilly.
Lilly turned to Sasha. "As for you! If you don't want to lose Grime, then you'd better do a good job of making sure Grime really has changed. I'm serious, Sasha. If Grime steps out of line, I will end him! If the only reason he's here is because he cares about you, then I hope that is enough to keep him from doing anything stupid."
Lilly focused her gaze on Sasha before continuing, "I know you betrayed Luz, and I heard Anne say she hates you, so I doubt they'd care if I struck you down for defending Grime."
Those words cut deep to Sasha, who could only manage to turn her face away in shame. She wanted to say something but couldn't manage it. Grime didn't say anything either, though he could tell from Lilly's tone that she was dead serious. He tried to look her in the eyes and give her a reassuring look, but her expression of anger didn't change.
To finally try to defuse the situation, Emmanuel said, "I think we all have a lot of catching up to do. Let's get inside and trade notes so that we're all on the same page."
Inside the Planters' living room, the group of Emmanuel, Gustav, Maddie, Sasha, Grime, Lilly, Uodeela, and the witches sat down, all exchanging information about what they'd each been up to since being separated. It took a long time for everyone to say what they needed to say, but finally, it seemed they were all on the same page with the current situation.
"So, Luz really was able to make it home," said Gustav, letting out a sigh of relief. "I hope that for now, she's at least safe."
"I'm sure Anne and the Plantars are looking after her," said Sasha, trying to lift the mood. "I hope they're safe, but I also hope they can find a way back here. I think we could really use Anne's help."
"I mean, of course," said Lilly. "Assuming she can still use those powers, she would be a great boon in our fight against Andrias."
Uodeela let out a screech, causing the others to turn to her. She wrote something down on her notepad before turning it so the others could see it. Luz should have those same powers. In fact, Sasha should as well.
The group turned to Sasha as they read Uodeela's note. Sasha looked down at herself and her hands, not sure what to say.
"I mean, how would I go about activating them?" asked Sasha. Again, Uodeela wrote down on her notepad.
You need to concentrate and develop a connection to Amphibia. Realize how much you care about the creatures in it, and focus on that, wrote Uodeela. She paused for a second before writing again.
Wait, you told me about how Luz fought Beatrix. How did she lose? She should have been able to wipe the floor with her, no problem if she had her powers, wrote Uodeela.
"I've honestly been wondering that myself," said Sasha. "I saw what she could do at Tadpole Pond. I know how strong she was. It's the reason I—" Sasha hesitated before continuing. "It's the reason I wasn't worried about setting her up to fight Beatrix. I thought for sure Luz would at least have a chance at that fight, seeing how strong she was at Tadpole Pond."
"Is there a way to lose those powers?" asked Grime.
Uodeela thought for a moment before writing again. Yes, but I thought if Anne still had hers, there was a chance Luz also did. It doesn't make sense. If the box was recharged, it should mean that none of the girls have access to them, yet Anne can still use them, but Luz can't.
"Is there a chance I still have them?" asked Sasha, hopefully.
We'll have to see, wrote Uodeela. Are you sure you didn't activate them before recharging the gems on the box?"
"No, I didn't," said Sasha plainly.
Uodeela brought her hand to her chin for a bit before writing. If you had, there might be a way to restore them, but if you're sure you haven't, then perhaps not.
Sasha's face fell upon hearing that.
"It's alright, lieutenant," said Grime reassuringly. "You're tough enough without them. Giving you powers would make our fight against Andrias unfair."
Sasha smiled upon hearing Grime say that.
Uodeela, again, showed her notepad. We can try a few exercises later to see if Sasha still has them, but I don't want to get your hopes up.
"So, let's talk about our other guests," said Emmanuel, turning to look at the witches. "First of all, I'm so sorry about what you've been through. I don't think any of us realized how depraved Andrias really was."
"I had heard about how fun he was," said Lilly. "I honestly thought he was just ignorant of how much the frogs were really suffering and hoped that I could convince him to change the system, especially after the frogs basically saved him from the toad rebellion."
"In any case, we're grateful to you for getting us out of that hellhole," said Vincent.
"Of course, without the box, we're basically stuck here with no way to get home," observed Raine.
"We have a way home," said Alyssa with conviction. "We just need to get the box away from Andrias."
"Oh, is that all?" asked Grime in a sarcastic voice.
"Yes, that is," said Emmanuel. "I know right now that it seems Andrias has all the advantages, but we can find a way to beat him. It may take time, but at least for now, he doesn't even know that there is an organized resistance against him. That gives an advantage."
"Honestly, this king sounds a bit like the ruler of our world," said Vincent.
"What's your ruler like?" asked Maddie, intrigued.
"His name is Emperor Belos," said Raine seriously. "He's a witch of unusual power. The thing is, no one really knows that much about him or even what he looks like. Heck, I was even reminded a bit of the Emperor's castle when we were sneaking around Andrias's palace."
"You've been inside the Emperor's castle?" asked Alyssa, intrigued.
"Yes, I have. I'm not sure if I should mention this, but I'm actually trying to become head of the Bard Coven," said Raine. "I was invited to play at the castle. It was my first time inside, and I must say, being in that place is unnerving."
"Hey, wait a sec," said Maddie. "So, is it true that you all can cast magic naturally?"
"Well, yes, we can," answered Alyssa.
"Can you show us?" asked Maddie.
"Sure," answered Alyssa. She made a spell circle with her finger, causing a barrier to appear in front of her. The amphibians and Sasha let out a gasp at seeing this.
"I specialize in healing magic," said Alyssa. "I'm part of the healing coven. We're all about fixing what's wrong with you, but we also use defensive magic like this barrier to help prevent you from being hurt in the first place."
"I'm in the construction coven," said Vincent proudly. "I specialize in controlling the earth. I'd show you, but it's probably better if I were outside with more room to throw rocks around."
"And you can do that just by making a circle?" said Maddie, intrigued.
"Yes, we have a special organ attached to our heart called a bile sac," explained Raine. "It stores magic bile, which is what we use to cast magic. Your king was harvesting that bile from us."
The amphibians and Sasha all gave a look of disgust as they heard that.
"What was he hoping to use it for?" asked Sasha, with worry in her voice.
"We have no idea," said Vincent. After speaking, he began walking around the Plantars' house, putting his hand on the floor.
"That is worrying," said Emmanuel seriously. "Whatever he hopes to gain from this can't be anything good. Didn't you say there was one more witch?"
"Yes, Amity," said Lilly. "He put her through some kind of tests, but never had the newts drain any bile from her. I don't know what they were planning to do, but I'm worried about her. The first night after we escaped, I had a nightmare that something terrible had happened to her."
"You said Marcy is alive, right?" asked Sasha.
"Yes, she is," said Lilly. She paused before adding, "I'm sorry I couldn't get her out."
"I'm just glad to know she's okay," said Sasha. "Don't worry, we'll free her and that other witch too."
"Hey, sorry to interrupt," said Vincent, "but did you guys know there are tunnels under here?"
"What?" said Emmanuel with interest.
"It's part of my magic," said Vincent, drawing a spell circle and putting his hand on the floor. "I can use it to sense changes in the ground. There's a whole network of tunnels under here. I wonder what they are for. Also, I wonder where the entrance to them is."
Vincent made another spell circle with his finger and began walking around the Plantars' living room, trying to find the entrance to the tunnels. As he was making circles and walking around, Sasha kept glancing at him. She wasn't sure, but she could have sworn she saw something within the circles Vincent was making. They were so quick, though, that she couldn't get a good look at it. After a few minutes of searching, he stopped at the fireplace, knocking on the wall against it.
"I'm pretty sure the entrance is here," he said, making another spell circle and feeling his way along the wall. After a bit more searching, he finally found the secret button in the center of the picture that hung above the fireplace and pressed it. The bricks around the fireplace began to move, and an entrance opened up, revealing a staircase that descended into the ground. Everyone else in the room was surprised and gathered around the entrance.
"What do you think is down there?" asked Gustav, peering into the entrance.
"Only one way to find out," said Lilly, her eyes lighting up and turning blue. She brought up her hand and summoned an orb of light, stepping down into the tunnel. Vincent followed close behind.
An hour or so later, the two emerged from the tunnels and gave a report to the others. Vincent brushing off some vines and pumpkin guts from his shirt.
"There's uh a giant pumpkin monster in one of those tunnels," he said unfazed, "I think someone made a bad spell trying to control some vegetables." As he said this he pulled out a jar that had what looked like a sapient turnip.
"Whoa let me see!" said Maddie reaching forward to grab the jar.
"There's a spell to bring vegetables to life in the demon realm," said Vincent.
"I have no idea why that spell exists," added Alyssa, sardonically, "it never works the way you want it to."
"Well vegetable monsters weren't all we found," said Lilly, "it looks like there were three different chambers dedicated to uh members of the Plantar family. That the family who lives here right?"
Emmanuel shook his head.
"Well one of those rooms was full of weapons," said Lilly, bringing out a few of them in her arms and laying them out on the floor. This intrigued Emmanuel.
"You know I found a few weapons in one of the rooms of this house," he said casually, "which was a bit disturbing seeing as it looked like it belonged to a tadpole."
"The last chamber was blocked, we couldn't get in at first," said Vincent, "but I cleared the way and that's when we discovered there were more chambers down there. At first, we thought there were only three, but I can sense that there's more for sure. Even though some tunnels are blocked off, I should be able to clear them."
"Some of the chambers looked like they had certain puzzles or traps in them, but I think we can disable them," said Lilly.
"If I cleared out some of the blocked tunnels, there would be a lot more room," said Vincent. He turned to Emmanuel and said, "You might even be able to move your army down there."
"Andrias does have that laser cannon on his castle," said Sasha.
"It would be a lot safer for us to relocate underground, where we'd have more protection from that weapon," advised Grime.
Emmanuel turned to Vincent, Alyssa, and Raine. "Listen, I know right now you're stuck in this world and you want to go home. I want to try to free the frogs from the tyranny of Andrias. I would say that at present, our goals align. If you can help us beat Andrias, then I promise, once we get the box, we will send you home."
The three witches looked at each other before Ranie said, "It is in our best interest. Plus, your daughter saved us from the castle, so if you want my help, I'm in. I assume beating Andrias also includes rescuing Marcy and Amity from him, right?"
"Yes, of course," replied Emmanuel.
"Anything that will get us home and let us see our children again, I'm for," said Alyssa.
Vincent gave a cocky smile before saying, "Heh, you need someone like me on your side. Your rebellion would have no chance without me. Plus, I have to clear out those tunnels for you, so I'm in for sure!"
Alyssa rolled her eyes at her husband's statement but still smiled at him.
"Thank you," replied Emmanuel. "I think having you on our side will most certainly help to turn the tide."
"Well then, let me head down there and see what I can do," said Vincent.
As Vincent worked to clear the tunnels, the rest of the group reconvened outside, the others taking in the site around them and talking with some others.
"Man, Wartwood hasn't changed at all since I was last here," said Sal as he looked out over the town.
"Salvador Ammi," said a voice he recognized. He turned around to see Sadie Croaker approach him.
"Thought you said that you were leaving this town behind for good when you left," said Mrs. Croaker.
"Well, you know the old saying. You never really do leave your old town," said Sal. "They say you always take a piece of it with you, and sometimes that piece leads you home when you least expect it. I will say that living in Newtopia has been quite an adventure, though I hear old Hoppy is havin' an adventure himself."
"Well, let's hope it's not as dangerous as some of our past adventures," said Mrs. Croaker with a knowing look at Sal.
"Heh, well, stealing from a thieves guild sure can get the blood pumping," said Sal. "But hey, I got the money I needed for my business, and you got enough to buy your house, though I've always wondered why you never bothered moving to Newtopia? You had more than enough that you could have afforded it."
"Eh, I figured living in Newtopia would do nothing but paint a target on my back," said Mrs. Croaker. "Living in Wartwood was safer. Plus, I had enough money from our little venture that I never had to work again. I got to retire early."
"You know, I think we're the only ones left," said Sal. "Do you know if that's true?"
Mrs. Croaker took a long pause before saying, "Ewan, Marisa, Cormag… They're all gone." She hung her head as she said that.
"The guild found Cormag," continued Mrs. Croaker. "Ewan and Marisa managed to hide and remain undetected until they died of old age. They at least lived a good, long life." Sal hung his own head as he heard that.
"Did Jonah ever find you?" asked Sal in a careful tone.
"Yeah, he did, but I took care of him," said Mrs. Croaker. "I'm pretty sure he's the last one, so I won't have to worry about the guild no more now that he's gone."
"Now all we have to worry about is Andrias," said Sal, in a jovial tone.
"Heh, Andrias ain't nothing on us," said Mrs. Croaker. "We managed that big heist back in the day, so I think we can stop that no good king, even if it is only the two of us."
"Well, here's hoping we can pull off another miracle," said Sal.
"Wait a minute. Aren't you Grime?" asked Priscilla as she looked at the toad.
"Yeah, that's me," answered Grime, giving the newt a look.
"I remember you," said Priscilla. "I was just a young newt when I saw you fight in the Coliseum. You were one of the toughest toads ever. I thought they made you Lord of the South for that."
"They did," said Grime proudly. "I ruled over the southern region for five years."
"And then your tower got destroyed, is that right?" asked Priscilla smugly.
"Yes, it did," said Grime reluctantly, "but despite that happening, I'd like to think things have worked out for me. Sasha and I have had quite an adventure, and I wouldn't trade my time with her for anything."
"Hmm, still, I wonder if you're still as strong as you were back then," said Priscilla, looking Grime over. "How's about you and I go a few rounds? Looks like there's gonna be a lot of fighting in our future. May as well see how good we are!"
"Sure, why not?" said Grime.
Priscilla and Grime stared at each other as they got into a fighting stance. After a beat, Priscilla charged at Grime and threw punches at him. A few managed to hit, but Grime was able to block most of them. Grime responded by quickly inflating his chest and pushing Priscilla away from him. She charged again, but Grime shot out his tongue, hitting her right in the face and staggering her. Priscilla powered through and began fighting Grime again. Finally, she used her tail to sweep at Grime's feet, tripping him. Grime fell but quickly picked himself up. He leaped back, trying to put some distance between himself and Priscilla, but she seemed unfazed.
Priscilla got down on all fours and quickly ran towards Grime. The two fought some more, and Grime managed to land some hits on Priscilla. The blows didn't seem to do much damage to her, so Grime leaped up in the air, intending to stomp on her. Priscilla saw what he was trying to do and got out of the way. As Grime landed, she again swiped at him with her tail. This time, though, Grime caught it in his hands before giving her a coy smile. In the next instant, he lifted her up by her tail and swung her around twice before throwing her into a tree. Priscilla crashed hard into it. As she lifted herself, though, it was her turn to smile as she simply grabbed the tree she had slammed into and pulled it up out of the ground. Grime's face fell as he saw what she was doing. Priscilla turned around and swung it at Grime, knocking him away. Before he could get up, Priscilla ran over to him and brought her fist up to his face.
"Had enough?" she asked.
"Yeah, I have, actually," said Grime. "You win. Good fight."
Priscilla relaxed and opened her fist into a hand, helping the toad up. The two smiled.
"You know, I have to say, you still gave me quite a workout," said Priscilla. "I heard you'd gone soft, but I can see by your fighting prowess you've still got it."
"Well, I'm up to spar again," said Grime. "I haven't had a good session like that in a while."
"So, tell me more about how magic works in your world!" said Maddie excitedly as she followed Raine.
"I mean, there's not much more to tell," said Raine.
"Right, but how did you even get those magic bile sacs?" asked Maddie.
"We don't know for certain," said Raine, "though most witches believe it's because we evolved on the corpse of the Titan. They think being in its presence is what formed the bile sac. Witches didn't always have it, though."
"Really?" said Maddie, intrigued.
"Before we evolved bile sacs, there was another way witches did magic," explained Raine, "but no one remembers how. It was so long ago, before even the Savage Ages."
"The Savage Ages?" said Maddie, letting out a gasp. "What was that?"
"Supposedly, that was a time when wild magic reigned supreme and caused all sorts of problems and fighting," replied Raine, "then Emperor Belos came along and changed the way we did magic."
"What did he do?" asked Maddie inquisitively.
"He instituted the Coven System," began Raine. They pulled back their sleeve to show their coven brand to the frog. "This brand marks me as a member of the Bard Coven. It makes me only able to perform bard magic."
"What?" said Maddie incredulously. "That doesn't seem right. Why do witches in your world agree with that?"
"Not all witches do," said Raine. "Some refuse to join a coven, but they are considered outlaws. The Emperor makes it a point to track them down and either force them into a coven or petrify them."
"Petrify them? But surely you can cure them, right?" asked Maddie. "I mean, there's this being called the Chicka-lisk in this world. It can turn amphibians to stone, but they can be cured."
"Yes, that reminds me of something," said Raine, scratching their chin. "Someone else told me about this creature and that you are able to cure its form of petrification. They were able to tell me about some ingredients, but I wonder if you can tell me the rest."
"Oh, of course. I'd be happy to help!" said Maddie. "But first, I'm wondering if you can show me some magic."
Raine smiled. "Sure, I'll show you what I can do." With that, they made a spell circle and summoned their violin. They brought it up to their chin.
Raine began playing. They struck their violin and sent out a sharp slash that went forward and cut down a bush in front of them, then they played another melody and made some storm clouds appear around them and Maddie. Maddie looked up, amazed. Finally, Raine brought their fingers to their lips and made a loud whistle, sending a shockwave out in all directions.
"Wow, that's amazing!" said Maddie. "I thought potions and curses were cool, but that doesn't compare to what you can do!"
"And remember, I'm just a bard," said Raine. "There are nine different covens in my world. Other witches have their own specialties and can do different types of magic."
"Is there a coven for potions?" asked Maddie.
"Yes, there is," said Raine.
"That would definitely be my coven," said Maddie.
"Is it true that you were able to cure Uodeela by brewing up an elixir?" asked Raine.
"Well, Gustav helped me, but yeah, we did it together," replied Maddie. "It's funny… He said he got that cure from Amara, but she never told us where she got it."
"Wait, did you say Amara?" asked Raine.
"Yeah, she's a former student of Uodeela's, but she's not here," said Maddie.
Raine stared hard at Maddie, not saying anything in response.
Sasha walked through the mostly empty square of Wartwood, watching as many frogs gathered things from their houses and began taking them to the Plantars' house. The idea to move underground had been well received by the populace, and the residents, who were closer to town, had returned to gather their belongings in order to make the move as quick as possible. Sasha had helped in the evacuation effort, and now that it was winding down, she looked out over the town, making sure everyone had what they needed. She was also still thinking about that symbol she had seen inside Vincent's spell circle, or rather, the one she thought she saw, as she wasn't even sure if it was real. She didn't know why she was obsessing over it, but she thought about asking him about it later. Sasha looked over and saw Mayor Toadstool and Toadie walking out of the office with something in their hands.
"Never thought I'd see the day we'd have to use this," said Toadstool, looking at the worn helmet in his hands.
"Have we decided who we're giving it to?" asked Toadie.
"Not yet," said Toadstool, "but I reckon Emmanuel is probably the best candidate."
"What about you, sire?" asked Toadie. "You're the mayor. You should be leading us during this crisis."
"Toadie, I don't know the first thing about leading an army," said Toadstool flatly. "Heck, I barely ran this town effectively."
"Don't be ridiculous, sire. I mean, you did save the town when Toad Tower collapsed," said Toadie. "That's got to be worth something."
"Maybe," said Toadstool, "but trust me, I ain't the one to lead now. I may have fought a bit when I was younger, but Bog was right; I've gotten soft at this job. Got used to all the free kickbacks and fancy living."
Toadie and Toadstool kept walking past Sasha and toward the Plantar house. Sasha watched them go and let out a sigh. She kept walking around the empty square before sitting on the fountain. After a bit, someone came up to her.
"Hey, Sasha," called Gustav.
"Oh, hey, Gus. Ah, sorry, I mean Gustav," said Sasha.
"Actually, it's fine if you call me Gus," said Gustav. "That nickname has kind of grown on me."
"Oh, really?" asked Sasha.
"At first, I didn't like it, but I've thought about it some more and feel it's pretty cool," said Gus. "I've never had anyone call me a nickname before, so I figure it can be something that makes me unique."
"Are you sure you don't mind?" asked Sasha.
"Not at all," answered Gus.
"Well, alright… Gus," said Sasha.
"How's the moving going?" asked Gus
"I think we're doing okay," answered Sasha. "Most of the residents of the town have evacuated. I was just doing a final check to make sure."
Gustav paused before asking, "How about you? How are you doing?"
Sasha took a beat before responding, eventually saying, "Gus, can I ask you something?"
Gustav nodded his head.
"Why did you use the elixir on me?" asked Sasha.
Gustav took a long pause as he considered the question before answering, "Sasha, I wasn't about to just let you die, not when I had the power to do something about it."
"But you saw what happened to me," exclaimed Sasha. "I was possessed by some crazy… I don't even know what it was, to be honest. What if you brought me back, and he was still in control?"
"I suppose that was a risk when I used the elixir on you," said Gustav, "but I felt it was worth it."
"Why?" asked Sasha.