Arc 6: Agents and Adventures
Deep in the basement of the castle, the Marcy Core had taken apart Marcy's cell phone and was studying its components. Next to her, the Amity Core was reading one of Amity's school textbooks.
"This technology is so primitive," said the Marcy Core. "While I am a bit surprised at how far those humans seemed to have advanced, they're still nothing compared to us."
"These witches, on the other hand, are a bit more impressive," began the Amity core, "but still nothing we can't handle. That foolish emperor has made his own subjects weak. Once we defeat Belos and his coven, nothing will stop us from conquering the Demon Realm."
As they were saying this, Andrias walked into the room, holding a covered tray. "Greetings, Marcy, I mean, the Core, I mean, Marcore… Okay, what do I call you?"
"Hmm, good question, big guy. Why don't you call us… Darcy?"
"Darcy?" said Andrias.
"Yeah, you know, like dark Marcy," replied Darcy. "It's a reference to one of Marcy's favorite video games. We searched her memories, and the name appeals to us."
"In that same spirit, this vessel should be called 'Damity'" said the Amity Core as it approached, though it suddenly stopped, shifted its head to the side, and said, "Damity, are we going to just copy her then?"
"The name Darcy was chosen because of Marcy's video games. We cannot simply copy that," said Core-Amity.
"Why not?" asked Core-Amity to herself, her body forming into a pout.
"We should strive to choose a better, more meaningful name," said Darcy, coming over.
"We could go with Dhecate," said the Core. "This name comes from one of this witch's favorite books."
"I can barely pronounce that," said Andrias.
"Why is it so hard to come up with a name for this vessel?" said the Core Amity in frustration. It closed its eyes and sat down. A few seconds later, its eyes lit up, and it stood up.
"We have decided that this one shall be called Enmity, then. It appeals to us. The matter is now settled."
"How are you liking that body?" asked Andrias.
Enmity responded by forming a red spell circle and blasting out a flame, then she made another and summoned up some vines with sharp thorns on them. She made a third and summoned up a pillar of ice underneath her that she formed into a throne.
"Ha ha ha! I love having a body with this power!" exclaimed Enmity as she crossed her legs and slouched on her throne. "It was most fortuitous that we were able to get ahold of such a promising young witch."
"It's also fortuitous that we were able to keep her," said Darcy, "seeing as Andrias was stupid enough to allow our other prisoners to escape."
"That wasn't my fault," said Andrias defensively. "Odalys was supposed to be able to handle those witches."
"Hmm, I suppose she is at least partly to blame, but still, it happened under your watch," said Enmity
"It is no big loss, at least in the long term," said Darcy. "While losing our source of bile is troublesome, once we invade the Demon Realm, we'll have more than enough specimens to harvest as much bile as we want."
"Yes, let's hope Andrias doesn't lose them this time," said Enmity with a hint of snark.
"Well, we do still have one witch," said Andrias, turning to Enmity. "Perhaps we could harvest bile from—"
"NO!" growled Enmity in a deep and guttural voice. She got off her throne and looked Andrias in the face, the eyes on her core helmet lighting up brighter.
"This body is MINE!" continued Enmity. "I need every drop of bile that this witch can produce so that I may fully utilize her magic. There will be no harvesting of bile from this body, is that clear?"
"Yes, I understand, my lord," said Andrias, raising his hands defensively. "Just to be sure, is it just you in there or are Marcy and the witch girl still—"
"No, no, no, these bodies belonged to Marcy and Amity," said Darcy, "but we've made accommodations for the personalities of those two."
"We've put them together in a little room in our shared mind. I think it will be interesting to study them and see just how they interact." said Enmity, pointing to her head
"We're the ones in control," began Darcy, "although it does seem we've both inherited some of their quirks."
"Speaking of which, I brought those confections you asked for," said Andrias, removing the lid on his tray. Darcy let out a squeal of delight as she saw what was under it.
"Red velvet cupcakes with ube frosting! Marcy's fav!" exclaimed Darcy as she came over to the tray and began devouring the cupcakes.
"And what have we here?" said Enmity. "Is that homemade fairy pie?"
"Well, not quite," said Andrias. "There are no fairies native to Amphibia, so I used dragonfly wings to simulate their wings. I also decided to use chocopede bugs to give it sweetness." He presented the pie to Enmity, the pie having dragonfly wings poking out of it like a real fairy pie would have. Enmity took a bite out of the pie and waited several seconds while she chewed it.
"It is acceptable," she finally said before eating the rest of the pie. She looked over at Darcy, who had gotten some ube frosting on her cheek.
"You have something on your face," said Enmity. She came over to Darcy, but instead of wiping the frosting off, she came close and used her tongue to lick it off.
"Mmm, that ube frosting is tasty," said Enmity in a seductive voice. "I may have to try one of those cupcakes myself."
"Are you sure it was the frosting you liked?" replied Darcy, giving Enmity a flirty smile as she did. The two gazed into each other's eyes before Andrias, becoming uncomfortable at how they were acting, made a noise to get their attention.
"But enough of that," said Darcy. "Follow us. We have a very important mission for you."
Darcy took one step forward and immediately fell. Enmity came over to help her up.
"Ha ha! This thing needs some calibration," said Darcy.
"So we need to purge our system of some excess data," began Enmity. "Redundant memories, that sort of thing.
"This requires a full system reboot," began Darcy, "and you're the only one we trust to—" Darcy stopped talking as she noticed the King had stopped to look at an old picture.
"Andrias?" she asked.
"Hmm, maybe we're not the only ones who need to let go of old memories," said Enmity.
"Nonsense," said Andrias stoically. "The past means nothing to me."
1000 Years Ago
Newtopia Palace
"We're almost there, just a little bit further," said Andrias as he guided Sheresade up. The young salamander had a hand covering her eyes
"I hope this will be worth it," said Sheresade in a dry voice.
"I promise you, it will be," said Andrias. After a few more steps, they reached the point on the wall that Andrias had wanted to show her.
"Okay," he began, "you can open your eyes now."
Sheresade opened her eyes and let out a gasp. From their place on the wall, she could see the entire city of Newtopia. Its tall spires, its busy streets and bustling citizens, and its technological marvels. Sheresade took in the sight of the city, enjoying its beauty and majesty.
"Well, what do you think?" asked Andrias.
"It's gorgeous," said Sheresade in a breathless voice. "I didn't realize how beautiful the city could be."
"This is your first time here, right?" asked Andrias.
"Second, actually," replied Sheresade. "I've been here before, but I didn't meet you. Aldrich had me do a test of sorts."
"Oh, what did my father want you to do?" asked Andrias.
"He had me go and scout a new world," replied Sheresade. "He wanted to test me and see how good I was."
"I assumed you passed?" said Andrias.
"Obviously," answered Sheresade. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be here now. After I scouted the world and gave my report to him, that's when he agreed to 'give me the honor of marrying his son.'"
Andrias blushed at that statement. "Ah, yes, sorry if that sounded wrong. My dad can be a handful sometimes."
Sheresade brushed it off. "Parents are parents; trust me, I get it. You should have seen how quick my parents were to 'set me up' once they heard that the marriage proposal was from the royal family." Sheresade let out a laugh as she said that.
"My father knows about the work your parents were doing in trying to research magic," said Andrias. "And despite the fact that you're from a small town, your parents are quite popular there. They're something of local heroes, aren't they?"
"Yes, they are," answered Sheresade, "using their magic to help other amphibians and fight off giant predators. I'm still surprised word of their deeds reached the king's ear."
"But anyway, do you like the view from up here?" he asked.
"I do," replied Sheresade.
"Good, I like this place a lot. I come up here to think sometimes," said Andrias. "It's far away from everything, and I can be alone and relax a bit here."
"So why did you want to show me, then?" asked Sheresade.
"Oh, well, you know, I wanted to share it with you," said Andrias, a bit nervous. "I mean, since we're going to be married and all…" He trailed off as he said that and reached awkwardly behind his neck.
"Listen," he began. "I know this is sudden—"
"No, I do understand, actually," interrupted Sheresade. "Newts and salamanders practice arranged marriages, so I knew this day would come, though I am a little surprised at how soon it happened and even more surprised that apparently I'm going to be queen."
"Is it weird that we've only just met each other?" asked Andrias.
"A little," said Sheresade, "which is why I'm puzzled as to why you wanted to bring me to a place that was so special to you."
"It's just," began Andrias, "I get that our marriage is more our parent's choice than our own, and yeah, we've only just met each other, but if we're going to be spending the rest of our lives together, we should like each other, right?"
Sheresade was taken aback by Andrias's statement. She looked up into his eyes.
"I must admit, you're not quite what I expected," said Sheresade, coming up to Andrias.
"What did you expect?" asked Andrias in a coy voice, causing Sheresade to pause.
"Ah, well, I guess…" began Sheresade. "Seeing who your dad is, I thought… maybe someone a bit more stuffy and strict. Someone without any friends."
"My father can be strict," said Andrias, "but he did let me grow up with some friends. Speaking of which, you have to meet them."
"I'd love to," said Sheresade.
"Let's head to the garden," said Andrias.
"So, Leif, Barrel, this is Sheresade," said Andrias, introducing his fiancé to the two.
"Hello! I'm Leif Plantar," said Leif, holding out her hand. "I'm the royal gardener."
"And I'm Barrel," said the toad, "captain of the Royal Guards. I was told we were having some special guests today. Was one of them you?"
"Yes," answered the salamander. "My parents brought me to the palace too…" She leaned over and whispered to Andrias. "Is it okay for us to tell them? Your father seemed to not want word to get out yet."
"Relax, it's fine. They're my friends," said Andrias. "Whatever my dad said, they'll keep it to themselves."
"Well then, do you want to tell them, or should I?" asked Sheresade.
"Hmm, actually, I guess I'll do it," said Andrias.
He paused to clear his throat. "So, hey, you two want to know a little secret?"
"Like you even have to ask!" said Leif as she eagerly came over.
"I should like to know the latest secrets always," said Barrel, looking up into Andrias's eyes.
"Okay, great, here." Andrias reached into his pocket and handed a seemingly blank piece of paper to Leif.
"Oh, come on. Too easy, Drais," said Leif as she picked up the paper and pulled out a pair of pink glasses from behind her hood. She scanned the paper once, almost dropping it when she got to the end of the message. She read over the message again, a smile forming on her face as she did.
"Wait, is this real?" asked Leif. "This isn't some joke or something, is it, Drias?"
"Nope, I assure you, it's real," answered Andrias with a grin.
"Uh, does someone wanna fill me in on what's happening here?" asked Barrel. "Feelin' kinda left out."
"Sheresade is engaged to Andrias," said Leif aloud finally.
"What?! Wow! I mean, uh, congratulations!" said Barrel awkwardly.
"Today was our first day meeting each other," explained Sheresade. "Andrias told me about you two and how you were such great friends, and that's why he wanted to introduce you to me."
"Well, we're both pleased to meet you," said Leif. "I'm sure you'll fit in just fine, Sheresade."
"There was a formal to-do about it with my dad this morning," explained Andrias, "but we're actually keeping it secret for now. Dad wants to wait until I have a chance to do something worthy of being a prince. Personally, I've been asking him if he'll let me lead an invasion."
"You better be careful what you wish for," said Barrel. "Some of those worlds have terrifying creatures in them."
"I'm lucky I don't have to deal with that," said Leif. "All I have to worry about is making sure that any interesting plant life you find there is cultivated here."
"Oh, well, as it so happens, as part of my engagement to Andrias, Aldrich has put me in charge of scouting new worlds," said Sheresade.
"Oh, really? Is that dangerous?" asked Barrel.
"Not if you know what you're doing," said Sheresade proudly, "and I happen to know quite a bit."
"So what does scouting out the worlds entail?" asked Leif.
"It involved me going into the worlds alone and stealthily assessing them," said Sheresade. "I need to move around and make sure I'm not seen by the local populace. Aldrich wants to know if those worlds have any unique organisms or properties that could be useful to our species. If the world has nothing of note, Aldrich still wants to know, as it might at least be rich in resources. A world can still be useful to us, even if it doesn't provide anything for us to assimilate. If the world doesn't have anything, then we can at least mine it for resources."
"Yeah, we sure do go through a lot of materials building those robots," said Barrel. "Personally, I feel the toads are better fighters than those robots, but recently, Aldrich has been using them as soldiers more often."
"I think the last invasion was 70% robots and only 30% newts and toads," said Andrias. "Dad says the robots don't require food or rest like an amphibian. That's why he wants to use them more."
"I guess that makes sense, but if he's going to use them more, then what will the toads do instead?" asked Barrel.
"Ah, we'll always need the toads as guards," said Andrias, coming over to Barrel and putting an arm around him. "I would trust you with my life more than I would a robot." Barrel smiled as Andrias said that.
"So, hey, Barrel, can I see your hammer?" asked Sheresade.
"Sure," said Barrel, pulling out his hammer and handing it to her. Sheresade took the hammer in her hands and turned it over, examining it from all angles.
"Is it true you made this yourself?" she asked.
"Well, mostly," replied Barrel. "I designed the hammer with some help from a salamander, but it was the frogs who actually made it. I had no idea they were such skilled metal workers."
"We do prefer to work with our hands," said Leif.
"I wanted a weapon that could be charged up to deliver extra powerful blows," explained Barrel, "especially blows that could break through armor. There are quite a few dangerous species that have armor-plating, so I worked with a salamander who used magic to allow it to have that ability, and then I commissioned a frog smith to make it for me. I believe Sir Glenn asked the salamanders for help to make a similar weapon. Is that right?"
"Yes, that's true," said Sheresade. "Glenn had managed to bond with a magic gem as well and thought it would be a great idea to place that gem in a sword. Then he asked the Salamanders for help in placing a curse on the sword so that it could only ever be used by a worthy frog. Speaking of which, is Glenn still serving in the Newtopian Army?"
"No, he retired a year ago," said Barrel. "Glenn was my mentor when I was just starting out, but he taught me everything he knew. I hope I can live up to his legacy. He now lives on the outskirts of a small village."
"I'd say you've done pretty well for yourself," remarked Sheresade, "and now you're captain of the guards."
"I have my hammer to thank for that," said Barrel. "Andrias and I fought off a giant cobra that attacked the city. Andrias distracted it, which gave me the opportunity to bash it on the head with my hammer."
"After that, I spoke on Barrel's behalf and told my father he was the perfect candidate to be the new captain," said Andrias. "It took a little convincing, but I'm glad my father listened."
Barrel turned to Andrias. "I sure am glad you were there, Drias. I know I would've been toast if you weren't."
"We do make quite a team, don't we?" said Andrias.
"Well, if you're so strong, Barrel, why don't you show me some moves?" said Sheresade, getting into a fighting stance.
"Uh, okay, if you're sure. But I warn you, I won't go easy on you," said Barrel, gripping his hammer.
"I'd be disappointed if you did," said Sheresade.
With that, she got on all fours and charged at Barrel. Barrel leaped out of the way and tried to land on Sheresade, but she quickly shook him off before using her tail to strike him. Barrel recovered and came at Sheresade, trying to subdue her, but she danced out of his way before going on the attack herself. She grabbed Barrel from behind, getting him in a headlock.
"Ready to yield?" she asked.
"Oh, I don't think so!" said Barrel, with a hint of cunning in his voice. In the next instance, he inflated his chest and managed to knock Sheresade off him. He attempted to follow it up by sweeping her feet, but she avoided the attack. In the next instant, her eyes glowed red, and vines came up out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Barrel, trapping him and pinning him to the ground. Barrel struggled to free himself, but the vines wrapped tightly around him, preventing him from moving. Sheresade bent down to look him in the face.
"Well, looks like I win this time," said Sheresade with a smirk.
"Ah, man, I should have known you'd be a magic user," said Barrel. "Can't believe I forgot to account for that."
Sheresade lifted her hand, and the vines around Barrel receded, allowing him to stand up.
"Alright, you've got some good moves there, Sheresade," admitted Barrel, offering her his hand.
"You're not so bad yourself," said Sheresade, shaking the offered hand. "I guess you haven't fought too many magic users, have you?"
"No, I haven't, but maybe you and I should spar more often so I can get some more experience."
"So you have one of those magic gems, then?" asked Leif. "The ones that are similar to the ones on the box?"
"Yep," said Sheresade, bringing her hand up to her necklace, which housed the red gem that was glowing. Barrel and Leif looked at it in awe.
"Wow, those are so rare!" said Leif. "It's amazing you have one, Sherri."
"Huh? What did you call me?" asked Sheresade.
"Oh, I called you Sherri," replied Leif. "It's a nickname. Since your full name is Sheresade, I just shortened it to Sherri."
"Sherri… I like it," said Sheresade. "So, Leif, why don't you show me what you do?"
"I tend the Royal Garden," answered Leif, "but I'm also responsible for cultivating any strange and interesting plants they find from other worlds."
"Leif is really good at figuring out the properties of plants too," said Andrias. "She's helped us identify plants that can be harvested for medicine."
"Yeah, some things they've brought back from other worlds are crazy. I'd really like to get my hands on an exotic fruit or vegetable seed," said Leif.
"Well, now that I'm doing the scouting, I'll try to keep my eyes open for one," said Sheresade. Her eyes looked around at the garden they were in.
"Did you grow all of this?" she asked with interest.
"Not all of it. Some were already here when I started working in the palace," answered Leif, "but I still take care of the stuff that was here first, and I've added a few things of my own. I try to keep the garden balanced with different types of plants in order to create a thriving ecosystem. Knowing the proper ratio of plants to have in the garden is important so that everything can co-exist."
As she spoke, Leif's eyes moved toward some blue flowers that had just come into bloom, and an idea popped into her head.
"So, if you come over here," she said to Sheresade, beckoning the salamander to follow her, "I can show you the irrigation system I developed."
Leif continued to guide Sheresade to the water, trying to keep her from noticing the blue flowers. As she did, she motioned to Andrias, trying to get him to notice them, though he didn't pick up on the cue. Leif kept talking in an effort to distract Sheresade while sneaking over to where the flowers were and plucking one. She came over to Andrias and nudged him, offering the flower to him, and then motioned with her eyes toward the salamander. Andrias finally understood and hid the flower behind his back.
"Of course, the gardens are just one part of this magnificent palace," said Leif. "There's a lot more to see, and I'm sure Drias could give you a tour."
"Oh… uh, yes, a tour," said Andrias clumsily. "I think that's a great idea. But first…" He pulled out the flower and offered it to Sheresade.
"Oh, thank you," said Sheresade, taking the flower. "You know, I think this would look great in my hair." She took the blue flower and put it in her hair, striking a pose as she did.
"How do I look?" she asked.
"Beautiful," replied Andrias, without missing a beat. Sheresade came up to him and wrapped herself around his arm, reaching down to hold his hand. Andrias felt his heart race and his face blush.
"Well then, I think I'm ready to be given a tour of the palace. Lead the way," said Sheresade.
"Ah, of course," said Andrias, leading Sheresade out of the garden and into the rest of the palace, though as he did, he made sure to turn back and flash Leif a smile. Leif returned the smile and also winked at him. As Leif and Barrel watched Andrias and Sheresade leave, they turned to each other and smiled.
"I think green really suits you," said the tailor as he looked at the dress Sheresade was wearing. "This light green dress will enhance your magnificent hair." The tailor continued to take measurements and make minor adjustments to the dress, and as he did, he noticed Sheresade's face.
"Lady Sheresade, do you dislike the dress?" he asked worriedly. "It is still in the early stages. If it is not to your liking, we can perhaps change it."
"No, it's fine," said Sheresade. Her mind was focused on something else. She thought back to earlier when Leif had told them about the vision she had. Andrias had arranged to let her speak before the King and the court, and yet her words had not swayed the King. She had seen how disappointed Leif looked when it was announced that the invasion would proceed. Sheresade had hoped that now that the king had spoken on the matter, that would be the end of it, yet she couldn't help but feel a small sense of worry.
To try to ease her mind a bit, she looked straight into the mirror at the dress she was currently wearing. Sheresade didn't wear dresses that often. In fact, underneath the dress she had on, she still wore her usual clothes, consisting of a tunic, some pants, and comfortable boots. But she still wanted to look nice for her eventual wedding, which would take place as soon as Andrias conquered Earth. She had to admit that she liked how this dress was coming along. She loved the color and felt that once it was done, she would look amazing in it. The royal tailor stopped his work and stood beside Sheresade.
"I think we can add some bows and sequins to it for sure," he said. "The train can be extended a bit more if you like. Perhaps for the actual day, we can add some fresh flowers to it to make it more eloquent."
"I think the train is fine at its current length, though I do like the idea of adding flowers to it," said Sheresade. "In fact, my friend Leif—"
Right as she said that Sheresade heard a loud blast like an explosion. The tailor heard it too, and they both turned in the direction they thought it came from. Sheresade turned back to the window and saw Leif riding atop one of the moss men. She seemed to be making her way to the wall of Newtopia and was holding something in her hand.
"Wait, is that the box?!" said Sheresade in alarm. She ran out the door, still in her dress, with the tailor chasing after her.
"Lady Sheresade, wait, please! Your dress is not ready!" he called. Sheresade picked up the dress so it wouldn't drag on the ground, but kept running out to the wall of the city.
By the time she got there, a crowd was already forming. Whatever Leif had done had caused a commotion in the palace. Leif came up to the wall of Newtopia and blasted her way through. Sheresade watched as she and the moss man escaped. She saw Andrias come across the wall, above the point Leif had blasted out of. On the other side, she could see members of the Royal Court gathered as they took in the sight.
"What's going on here?" called a frog as he observed the chaos. Other members of the court joined him, all looking over the wall of the city.
"Is that the box?" asked a newt. "What is that frog doing with it?"
Andrias looked nervously between Leif and the members of the Royal Court, feeling a deep sense of both shame and anger.
"LEIF!" he screamed as he watched her form fade further away.
"My love, what's happened?" asked Sheresade, who only just now appeared on the wall, still in her dress, with the royal tailor following close behind.
"Leif took the box!" he quickly explained. "She's fled the city!"
Sheresade turned to look and saw the red frog, who was still visible but would soon disappear into the forest. She heard the members of the court muttering to themselves and turned to look between them and Andrias, who hung his head in shame. It was then that Sheresade made her decision. She tore off the green dress she had worn, causing the tailor to let out a high-pitched scream.
"The sleeves are too long. Take them in. Also, it's dragging on the bottom, so fix that. Oh, and there's a tear in it, so that will have to be mended," she commanded, handing the dress to the tailor, who took it in his hands, tears streaming down his face. Sheresade brought up her hand to caress Andrias's face.
"Fear not, my love. I will go after her," she said to Andrias.
"But—" Andrias protested before Sheresade leaned in and kissed him. As she pulled out of the kiss, she turned to the members of the court who had witnessed the scene.
"I swear to you, I will return with the box, or else I will not return at all!" she declared loudly. For a brief second, Andrias was worried about what she said, though that worry vanished as he remembered how strong his fiancé was. She crouched down on the edge of the wall, her eyes glowing red. One last time, she turned to Andrias and said,
"Wait for me, my love. I'll be back."
With that, she leaped off the wall, an aura of wind forming around her to slow her fall. As soon as she hit the ground, she used that wind to increase her speed, allowing her to run faster. She made a mad dash in the direction that Leif had fled before disappearing into the forest after her. Andrias smiled as he saw this. He was certain Sheresade would catch her!
A Few Days Later
"The worst has come to pass," said King Aldrich solemnly. "The box has left this world. It is lost. It would seem that Sheresade has failed."
He turned to look at Andrias as he said this, giving his son a stern look.
"No, no, no, that can't be," pleaded Andrias. "Are you certain, father?"
Aldrich slammed his staff on the ground, frightening the young prince.
"SHE HAS FAILED!" he yelled, causing all the other members of the court to begin murmuring amongst themselves.
"I had such high hopes for her," continued Aldrich, "but it seems my trust was misplaced. Sheresade was neither a suitable bride nor the right salamander to produce an heir."
Again, Andrias tried to defend her. "Maybe she failed to get the box from Leif, but I know she didn't betray me. Sheresade loved me, and she would never—"
"Love was never part of the bargain, son," interrupted Aldrich. "I chose her for you because of her family's expertise with magic. Love was irrelevant." After a pause, he added, "And I know of the vow she made before chasing after Leif."
Andrias was stunned, not sure what to say in response to that. Aldrich turned to some nearby guards.
"Let it be known that Sheresade is hereby banished from Newtopia forever!"
"No!" exclaimed Andrias desperately. "She didn't know what she was saying!"
"She knew well enough, son," said Aldrich. "We'll be better off without her. As it stands, our way of life is ruined."
Right as he finished speaking, the eye on his crown came to life and began making a sound. Aldrich closed his eyes and listened.
"I see," he said after the eye was finished. "According to the Olm Prophecy, the box will return. When and how is impossible to calculate, so we will wait. We will bury and preserve our glorious civilization until our birthright has returned to us. Only then can you begin to redeem yourself."
"Alright, I understand, Father, and I promise you I will do everything in my power to right this wrong. But please…" said Andrias, falling to his knees. "Please don't blame Sheresade for this. It was my fault! I'm the one who foolishly trusted Leif. I know what Sheresade said, but please don't hold her to a promise she made in a desperate state to try to save me from my own failure."
"I'm sorry, son," said Aldrich in a pitiless voice. "She made a vow to try to get the box back, and she failed. As the future queen of Amphibia, she should have known the consequences of failure. Therefore, we will hold her to her word."
"But surely you still want an heir, don't you, father?" asked Andrias, trying the only angle he thought might sway his father.
"There will be time for an heir later after you have completed the invasion of Earth," said Aldrich. "You will live for long enough. Besides, we must be much more careful in selecting the right mate for you. We must make sure that she is of better stock than that worthless salamander."
Andrias wanted to protest, but he knew his father wouldn't be swayed, so he kept his mouth shut.
"That slippery little frog has ruined everything!" yelled Andrias as he entered his room. "Her and her kind will need to be kept in line." He turned toward Barrel, who had followed him.
"And as for you, you failed me as well," said Andrias in a cold tone to Barrel. "I'm stripping you of your rank."
Andrias reached forward and grabbed the insignia off of Barrel's shoulder, tearing it off his armor and crumpling it in his hand before letting it fall to the ground. Barrel watched, his eyes beginning to water.
"I'm also having you reassigned," continued Andrias in the same cold voice. "You will travel to the outskirts and defend the villages. Now get out of my sight."
Barrel briefly let himself cry before wiping the tears and giving a respectful bow to Andrias.
"Your Highness," he said in his most sincere voice before leaving to carry out his duties.
Once Barrel was gone, Andrias turned to look at the portrait he had only days earlier shown his friends and fiancé. As he looked at it, a burning anger began welling up inside him, and yet that anger was mostly directed at Leif and Barrel. He recalled how Sheresade had been the only one to try to get the box back. When he heard her make her vow, he was admittedly a little worried about what would happen, but he also expected her to succeed easily. Had she lost Leif? Had Leif overpowered her? Or had Leif used the box as soon as she was out of sight of the city?
Something had to have gone wrong, he thought desperately. Sheresade wasn't able to get to Leif in time, but I know she would have done everything in her power to stop her. That has to be what happened! Why did she make that vow in front of members of the court?
Andrias brought his hands to his head, feeling overwhelmed by everything that had happened that day. His feeling of anger at Leif and Barrel kept pulsing in his mind, yet, at the same time, he still felt love for Sheresade, and he knew that she hadn't betrayed him. She may have failed, but at least she made an effort to stop Leif. He looked at the painting one more time, his feelings finally coming to a conclusion. He raised his hand and slashed at the painting, destroying the image of himself, Leif, and Barrel, but sparing the image of Sheresade.
After he did, he fell to his knees and began to cry, the pain of losing Leif, Barrel, and Sheresade coursing through his body. After some time, there was a knock at his door. Andrias composed himself before going to answer it.
"Sire," said the Royal Taylor with a bow, "I heard the news about Sheresade. Please tell me it isn't true."
"I'm afraid it is," said Andrias, hanging his head. The tailor paused before saying.
"That is… I can't believe it. I don't know what to say, my liege."
Andrias looked up into the tailor's face, and for a second, his anger returned as the tailor was a frog, but he cooled down as another idea came to him.
"Do you still have her dress?" he asked quickly.
The tailor hesitated but then answered, "Yes, I've been working on trying to fix the hole she tore into it, but I suppose there's no point now."
"No!" said Andrias quickly. "Please keep working on it! Make whatever other changes you were going to make to it for the wedding."
The tailor gave Andrias a look. "Sire?"
"Please, do this for me, and also don't let my father know," said Andrias, looking the tailor in the eyes. "When you've finished the work on it, let me know."
"Alright, I give you my word, Your Majesty," said the tailor as he left to work on the dress.
The next day, Aldrich summoned his son to the throne room.
"As you are aware, son, today is my last day. I shall be assimilated into the Core to become part of its collective, but before that happens, there is one more thing we must do: Ensure that you will live for however long it may take for the box to return."
"But, father, we live long lives already," said Andrias. "Surely that will be sufficient, right?"
"Our natural longevity must be supplemented by something more… permanent," said Aldrich, putting his hand on Andrias and guiding him.
"Where are we going, Dad?" asked Andrias nervously.
"We're going to the castle basement," answered Aldrich.
As they entered the basement, Andrias squinted to try to see around him. It was dark, and at first, there weren't many lights to guide the way, but they slowly started to appear. In the distance, he could see another newt was already in there. It was an older yellow newt wearing a lab coat.
"Aldrich, good to see you could make it," said the newt. He held up some pieces of metallic armor
"What is that?" asked Andrias.
"A project I'm working on," replied the newt. "I think you'll appreciate what I'm able to do after today."
"I'm sure my son will," said Aldrich as he guided Andrias into the basement and toward a metal slab.
"What's going on, Dad?" asked Andrias nervously.
"Nothing to worry about, son," said Aldrich in a calm voice. "We're just going to perform a few bits of surgery that will leave you better prepared to live a long and full life."
Aldrich motioned for Andrias to lie down on the metal slab, and Andrias hesitated but did eventually lie down on the slab. As he did, shackles formed around his wrists and ankles, holding him in place.
"Do you have the new limbs ready, Dr. Light?" asked Aldrich to the newt.
"I do," replied the newt, now known as Dr. Light. "It should be a simple matter to fuse them to your son."
"New limbs?" said Andrias nervously. "What do you mean, new limbs?"
"Well, son, in order for you to be able to live a long time, we're going to need to get rid of some of your old natural limbs and replace them with better robotic ones."
As he said this, Aldrich fired up Andrias's sword, making the blade of flame appear.
"So sorry, son," said Aldrich as he raised the sword above his son, focusing on his right arm. "This may hurt a bit, but you're tough, and I know you can endure the pain. Think of this as penance. You must pay for your failure."
"Dad, please no!" pleaded Andrias as he struggled against the bonds. "I'm sorry for my failure! I promise I'll do everything I can to fix it."
"Yes, I know you will, son," said Aldrich in a mockingly gentle voice. With that, he slashed down on his son's right arm, severing it from his body and causing Andrias to let out a loud scream!
Back in the present, as the memories faded, Andrias was snapped back to reality. For a second, he thought he heard Leif speak to him and tell him about how she had his back and how he could use his powers for good. Though in the end, he brushed it off, feeling he'd only imagined it. Andrias looked down into the fire, where he had finally decided to throw the old painting, to show that he had truly put the past behind him. It had taken some convincing from the Core to discard the painting in the fire, but Andrias felt it was for the best and wondered to himself why he hadn't gotten rid of the painting earlier. As he watched it burn, he flexed his right hand and heard a soft metallic sound. Andrias looked over to a chair where the two Cores were resting, both having engaged their software updates. The progress bar on the tablet next to them showed the process was almost complete. Once it was finished, Andrias went over and flipped two switches to complete the restart.
The Cores sat up, and the lights in their eyes blinked a few times, after which they seemed ready.
"Alright, you did it!" exclaimed Darcy in an excited voice.
"Gold star for you!" said Enmity. As she said this, she formed a spell circle with her hand, causing a gold star made of light to appear. She waved it over to Andrias, where it stayed for a few seconds before fading away.
"But anyway, now that that's taken care of, who's ready to finally start invading Earth?" asked Darcy.
"I'm more than ready," answered Andrias. "But what about Anne? Don't we still need to deal with her?"
"We do," replied Darcy, "and we will. It's obvious that simply trying to defeat Anne is pointless, so we need to lure her here. That way, we can deal with her decisively."
"She cares too much for Marcy, or at least, we think she does," said Enmity. "It should be no problem to get her to come here and trap her. Her other friends will come too, and we can deal with them in one fell swoop."
"You focus on getting ready for the Earth invasion," said Darcy. "Let us handle Anne. We have all of Marcy's memories about her, and we will succeed."
"After a thousand years, I've thought of nothing else, aside from invading Earth," said Andrias, looking ahead stoically.
Darcy and Enmity looked at each other before looking directly at him. "Why, son, I think I'm almost proud of you…"
Darcy looked up at Andrias, "You know son, perhaps I can offer you something as a reward for our successful Earth invasion."
Andrias looked at Darcy intrigued but didn't say anything, Darcy continued.
"I know how much you care for Marcy, I saw how you reacted when you first met her. You even pleaded with me to spare her life. You tried to dissuade me from using her as a host especially after we found that witch."
"It's clear you hold some affection for that girl so how about we make you a deal?" said Enmity.
"I'm listening," said Andrias.
"We only need Marcy now for her knowledge of both Earth and of her friends," began Darcy, "but once we've completed our invasion of Earth we would no longer need her."
"And I have grown quite fond of this witch's body and her ability to cast magic naturally," said Enmity flexing one of her arms, "I'm certain we could find another suitable witch body in the Demon Realm, in fact, I can see from this witch's memories that there are plenty of brilliant minds at her school, she even has some friends that might make suitable candidates."
"What we're saying is," said Darcy, "once we have no need of Marcy anymore, and once we can find another witch that will make a good host we can release Marcy's body and you can have her back."
Andrias's eyes lit up at that, and for a brief second a smile flashed across his face, "Really you mean it?"
"Of course son," said Darcy in a sincere tone, "I think you deserve a reward after all you've done for us, so this seems fitting."
"I… thank you, father," said Andrias giving Darcy a smile, "I would appreciate that."
"No prob, as Marcy would say," answered Darcy giving his son a smile, though as Andrias looked away Darcy smiled at Enmity.
The Core already had plans to absorb both Marcy and Amity into its collective. Their intelligence was too high to pass up. The Core knew that by the time it released Marcy to Andrias, her personality would be gone so that when she was released from the Core only her body would remain, with no personality she would merely be an empty shell. She would be as humans called it, a vegetable. The Core looked forward to seeing Andrias's reaction when this happened as while it promised to release Marcy's body, it had said nothing about her mind. The Core had wanted to do this to punish Andrias, to make him suffer for trying to deny him Marcy as a host. And to teach him a lesson for trying to form a bond with Marcy. Had he not learned all those years ago how useless friends were, even after being betrayed by Leif, Andrias had still tried to form a genuine bond with Marcy.
Hmph, I can't believe Andrias still tried to make a friend with Marcy, thought Darcy to herself, he should have just killed her on the spot like we asked him to. If Andrias is only capable of learning things through pain then that will be the teacher we employ.
It's for the best, confirmed Enmity, I doubt after everything Andrias has done to her that Marcy would forgive him. This way we can teach him a lesson and fully absorb Marcy into our consciousness, she can spend the rest of her days in blissful happiness.
In another part of the basement, Alister Light came down to check on his wife. He had become concerned for her because of recent events and hoped she had been doing better. As he came upon his wife, he saw her hunched over a table, muttering to herself while working on something.
"That stupid frog," she grumbled. "It's all her fault, but I'll show her. I'll show them all."
"Dear, is everything alright?" asked Alister as he came up to his wife.
"Oh, everything is fine, honey," said Odalys, turning around to greet her husband. A second later, she held up her left hand, which was nothing but a bloody stump, which unnerved Alister. He also noticed how his wife seemed to be degrading in her appearance. Her hair was unkempt and she generally looked disheveled.
"The hand didn't grow back perfectly again, but that's alright. That's fine," said Odalys in a loud, fast voice. Her eyes moving rapidly between her bloody stump and her husband's face.
"I took care of it. I can't have such imperfections staining my opulent body," continued Odalys in the same loud and frantic voice. "I can just keep growing new hands until they finally grow back perfect!"
"Dear…" began Alister in a nervous voice. "This is the sixth hand you've cut off. You've kept trying to grow new hands because you felt they weren't perfect."
"THEY WEREN'T!" screamed Odalys suddenly. She took a second to look between her husband and her hand before continuing, "No, those other hands weren't perfect, and that's why I had to get rid of them. I'm Odalys Light. I have to have a perfect body, and if that means cutting off limbs that aren't perfect, then so be it."
She raised her bloody stump into her husband's face.
"This limb wasn't perfect, but the next one will be. I'm certain of it," said Odalys. "And once I have my perfect body, I'll continue my work on the bile and make it perfect as well. Yes, once the bile is perfected, and we newts are able to use magic, then our species truly will be perfect!"
With that Odalys went back to work at her desk trying to do more work to improve the bile, it was hard for her to make progress with just one hand, she constantly kept dropping things and making mistakes as she wrote down notes, but she still put her whole self into the process forcing herself to make some kind of progress.
"I'm going to perfect the bile dear," she said to her husband not looking up from her work, "you'll see! I will do it! And once I do then I can take my revenge against that frog and that witch! I will punish them for damaging my perfect body, I will MAKE THEM PAY!"
She slammed her other hand against the table for emphasis as she said that last line.
Alister simply stared at his wife, not sure what to say in response to that, but beginning to feel as though they had both gotten themselves too far in this madness.
Meanwhile, deep inside the Core's mind, the consciousnesses of both Amity and Marcy were just opening their eyes. The Core had erased all their memories concerning what had happened to them recently and how their bodies had come to be possessed, so they would not worry over that. The two woke up, rubbed their eyes, and looked around.
"I don't know what this place is," said Amity, looking around the chamber that the two girls were in. The room was very small, though it had a few furnishings in it. Strangely, there was no door leading out of the room.
"Boy, I really wish we had something to do in here," said Marcy out loud. Right as she said that a shelf appeared on one wall that was filled with puzzles and board games.
"Oh, cool!" said Marcy, rushing over to look at the game. "Sweet! I remember these. House on Horror Hill, Mystic Arts, Amazedor, Kattan."
"Uh, what now?" asked Amity, confused.
"Oh, these are some of my favorite games," said Marcy excitedly. "They're so fun! I could show you how to play if you want."
"Uh, maybe," said Amity, not entirely convinced. "Honestly, I'd rather have something to read."
No sooner had she said that than a bookshelf appeared against the wall. Amity looked closer to see what kind of books it held, her eyes lighting up.
"No way, Good Witch Azura!" she exclaimed, picking up one book on the shelf. She looked over the shelf for more.
"Oh, and book five is here!" she said, hurrying over to the book. Marcy joined her at the shelf
"Not only does it have Azura, but it also has Cynthia Coven," she said, looking at a different shelf and picking out one book.
"Cynthia Coven?" asked Amity.
"Yeah, it's another book series," explained Marcy. "If you like Azura, I think you'd like Cynthia too. It's about a human girl who discovers she's really a witch and goes to their world to learn about magic."
After a pause, she added, "I could read it to you if you want."
"Oh, sure, I guess that would be nice," said Amity. "Is it weird that there doesn't seem to be any way out of this place we're in?"
"Yeah, that is a little weird," said Marcy. "Does that mean we're trapped here?"
"We are," said Amity, and after a pause, she added, "and yet I don't feel that worried for some reason."
"Me neither," said Marcy, "even though I can't seem to remember how we got here or if there's even a reason we're supposed to be here in the first place."
"Maybe there isn't," suggested Amity. She turned to look into Marcy's face. "I do remember your name, though. It's Marcy, isn't it?"
"Yes, that's right," said Marcy, who also turned to look at Amity. "And your name is Amity, right? Also, I really like your hair. I have a thing for the color green."
Amity was taken aback by that compliment but did smile. "Thanks, though I don't really like it that much."
"Oh, why not?" asked Marcy.
Amity hesitated before saying, "My mother makes me dye it green, but my natural hair color is brown. She does it so that me and my siblings can all 'match.'"
"What?! That's crazy!" said Marcy. "Though honestly, I can relate. My mom sets out my schedule for the day and won't let me do anything on my own during that time. The only time I get to relax is when I have a day off."
"Your mom reminds me a little of my own," said Amity dejectedly.
"You know, I thought that maybe you had dyed your hair green because you wanted to look like Good Witch Azura," said Marcy.
"Huh, I honestly never thought about that," said Amity as she ran a hand through her green hair. "Even if my mom is making me change my hair, I guess there is at least one upside to it. Though personally if there was an Azura character I'd want to look like it would be Hecate."
"You'd make a great Hecate," said Marcy in an encouraging voice, " but with your current hair color it would be easier for you to cosplay as Azura if you want to."
"Cos-play?" asked Amity to Marcy.
"Oh, right, I guess you don't have that in your world, but cosplay is when you dress up as a character from fiction that you really like," explained Marcy. "Normally, you do it at cons and such, but you could also do it for parties."
As Marcy kept explaining how cosplay worked, Amity looked into her face. She had to admit that Marcy was very cute while she talked. Something about the way she spoke and explained things with passion made Marcy more endearing, and it made Amity want to listen, and it made her want Marcy to keep talking. So Amity let herself get lost in Marcy's words, and she kept talking for a long, long time.