It's the morning after Frank and everyone had visited the First Temple. After all three trials, which almost resulted in their deaths, everyone unanimously decided to take a break before returning to find the Second Temple. However, there was just one thing that needed to be sorted out: where Marcy was going to sleep. All of the rooms in the house had been taken.
Luckily, they still had the fwagon.
And that's where Marcy was. On the bed, sleeping in the homey and comfortable fwagon outside and to the left of the Plantar's house. The moment the dawn came, bringing the sun's light, she was already up. Marcy didn't even take off her clothes. If she had to take them off, she would have to change out of her jammies and then slip back into her adventure clothes, wasting valuable time she could be using to see Wartwood.
The smart girl kicked the door open, full of energy. "Woo! Look out, Amphibia! It's Marcy's first day in Wartwood!" she yelled with a big grin on her face. "Woo!"
A moment later, she rushed down to the basement, fists in the air, where Anne and Frank were still asleep. "First day in Wartwood! First day in Wartwood! First day in Wartwood! First day in Wartwood!" Marcy ran around in circles, chanting with all the high energy of a kid hopping up on sugar. She then turned and left up the stairs.
Having learned to be a light sleeper from months in Amphibia, Frank started to wake up. "Marcy's awake," he said, still feeling groggy.
Anne, having not learned anything, was still asleep. "You take care of her," she said, waving her hand with closed eyes. "She's your responsibility, too."
"She's your best friend."
"You love me, so let me sleep in."
Frank sighed and got up. "The things I do for love," he mumbled.
With tired eyes, he sat beside Marcy. Both of them flew over the clouds toward the town, riding on the back of Joe Sparrow. All the while, Marcy was still chanting, "First day! First day! First day! First day!..."
The girl fell silent for a moment. "You done, champ," Frank asked.
"First day!" Marcy yelled. "Okay, I'm done."
Frank sighed exasperatedly, forgetting just how much energy Marcy had. He didn't have his weapons on him. Since they were going into town, there was no use in bringing along Hellcat's Claw or his sword. He wasn't stupid, however, and still kept his knife on him. "Alright, Marcy," he said, crossing his arms, "I think it's time you and I had a little talk."
Marcy looked at him curiously. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just…actually, there's just something wrong with the people you're gonna meet," Frank said. There was no hiding it, not if she was going to be staying in town for an unknown period of time. "Wartwood is a small town, and it has a real small-town mindset. They're especially defensive against newcomers, so they aren't the most friendly to outsiders."
Scoffing, Marcy waved him off. "Please, you're just exaggerating," she said.
"I'm serious, Marbles," Frank said, looking at her with concern. "This isn't like Newtopia. It may have been different for you, but it took a long time for Anne and me to be accepted. And even then, it almost killed me." He touched the red scar over his right. That was going to be an uncomfortable talk with his parents and family. How do you go about to tell them a giant toad almost killed you with a hammer?
"Yeah, but didn't they say that they were sorry for how they treated you two," Marcy asked.
"Yeah, but again, I almost died," Frank said. Even he wasn't sure if Wartwood would have learned not to treat newcomers like trash. Some people just don't change. "I just…I just want you to be ready for a lot of rejections. Besides, we're not gonna be staying here for long. Not after we charge the stones."
Before the conversation could continue, Joe Sparrow started descending. They've arrived at Wartwood. Once her bird landed in the middle of the town's square, Marcy jumped off with Frank. His best friend looked around, gasping at the scenery around her. "It's so cute!" she said, looking at a random frog digging up the ground. "It's got a folksy country vibe."
The frog burped.
"Colorful characters," Marcy said, looking at three more frogs. They burped.
Frank chuckled and crossed his arms. "You're really into this place, aren't you?"
"Are you kidding me?! Gosh, Anne was right. It's the perfect little farm town! Just like the Shire!" Marcy exclaimed with a massive grin. The frog that the dragonfly had captured flew over the town and burped. "And now, to introduce myself."
"Wait, Marcy!"
Frank tried to stop her, but she was already gone. Running over to Mrs. Croaker as she was shopping at one of the market's stands. Mrs. Croaker was looking at a fresh when Marcy popped up behind her. "Hi!" she exclaimed, startling the old frog. "My name is Marcy. What's your name?"
"Oh, great. Just what we need," Mrs. Croaker said, not taking to Marcy's presence well. "Another outsider."
Frank frowned at this. "Hey!" he yelled, walking to them. "Be nice. Marcy was only introducing herself."
"So?" Mrs. Croaker said rudely. "She's an outsider. She doesn't deserve any kind of respect. Like she's ever gonna get it."
This made Marcy look down sadly, while Frank said, "How about we treat her with respect and welcome her instead of treating her like an alien?"
"I don't think so, sonny," the old frog said. "We don't give outsiders—"
"You got one foot in the gate as it is, Mrs. Croaker," Frank said, leaning in to glare into her now frightened eyes. Growling, he said, "Want me to help get the rest of you inside it?"
Silenced, Sadie slowly started backing away. "Yes…well…" She ran off.
"Hey!" Frank yelled after her. Marcy, however, placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from running after Sadie and dragging her back over to make her apologize to his friend.
"Frank, what are you doing," Marcy asked, looking at him with disapproval. "I was handling it." She then turned to wave to the merchant Mrs. Croaker was conversing with. "Hello!"
The merchant closed down his stand.
"See?!" Frank exclaimed, gesturing to the metal roller door of the stand. "Marcy, that is what I'm trying to tell you. Wartwood hates anyone new. Anne and I got lucky, but that was because we saved the town on more than one occasion. But you are still a new face, and that's something they don't like."
"Oh, please, you're just exaggerating," Marcy said, rolling her eyes. "I just need to find that right someone to open up the town to men."
"Hi there! My name is Marcy. Do you have any time to talk about its unique architectural history?" Marcy asked Maddie's little sisters.
"Uh…" they all responded.
The second one of the trio asked, "Are you a weirdo?"
Wally was playing his accordion on a barrel when Marcy ran over to him. "Oh, my gosh! Are you a vagrant," she asked the secretly rich frog. "Is that an accordion? Is that eye really gone?"
"Too many questions!" Wally responded, throwing his accordion through a window and jumping through it.
Marcy sighed sadly as Frank approached her. "Well, why don't we find someone with whom you have something in common?" Frank asked, warping his arm around her.
"Like who," Marcy asked.
"Let's see…" Frank tapped his chin.
They then heard the familiar singing of a particularly happy frog. They turned around and saw none other than Rivet walking down the street with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. Not paying attention to any of the glares and suspicious looks the people of Wartwood were giving him, he just kept on going with a song in his voice.
~I love to sing-a~
~About the moon-a and the June-a and the spring-a,~
~I love to sing-a,~
~About a sky of blue-a, or a tea for two-a,~
~Anything-a with a swing-a to an "I love you-a,"~
~I love to, I love to sing!~
"Hey, Rivet!" Frank called out to the frog boy.
Rivet turned to the humans and smiled. "Hey, Frank! Hi, Marcy! I didn't know you'd be here," he said, pointing at her wrist crossbow. "How's the crossbow doing you?"
"It's working really great, Rivet," Marcy said, deploying her weapon.
"You two know each other," asked Frank.
"Heck yeah! Rivet's an amazing inventor, and I was helping him out in Newtopia," Marcy said, smiling at Frank with that same friendly smile she always had. A smile that only someone open and honest would have. "I didn't know you were here."
"Yeah, Indy and I moved in not too long ago," Rivet said, smiling. "It's so cool here. Everyone is so nice to us. They come out and greet us every day! See?"
The humans looked over to an angry mob.
"You do realize that's an angry mob, right?" Marcy asked.
Rivet glanced at the mob, then at the human. "Ooooh," he said when it sank in.
Frank turned to glare at the mob of angry frogs. "Hey, scram, I say! Scram!" He yelled at them, throwing his arms up. "These two and Indy are with me."
"All right, if you say so," someone in the crowd said before they all started walking away. All except for one.
"What the hell, Polly?!" Frank yelled at the tadpole with a torch.
"I go where the mob goes, Frank!" she exclaimed.
"Beat it!"
Marcy sighed in disappointment as she sat on the ground, her chin on her hands. "This isn't how I wanted my first day in Wartwood to be," she said.
"Well, what was it like when you got to Newtopia," Frank asked after turning back to her.
"Well, I fell down a tall flight of stairs and broke my leg. After that, Lady Olivia took me to meet the king. I crawl into his robe pocket. It was super fun."
Frank stared at Marcy. "Of course you did."
That's the thing about Marcy. She didn't just get distracted way too easily, but she also had no sense of personal boundaries when it came to meeting new people she wanted to be friends with. One moment, you're minding your own business, doing whatever the hell you're doing. Next, this strange girl with way too much energy comes up to you and starts asking you so many questions about your personal life or what's on you. Frank remembered a time when she ran over to a kid who was going through cancer treatment. She asked about how the chemo was going, when she'd be expecting to lose her hair, and if she thought it would work or if she'd die. It got her an ass beating after she made the poor girl cry. Of course, for a girl who wanted to learn so much, she never learned from the experience. Her trying to make friends with everyone while also trying to rapid-fire questions at them proved that.
"Well, why not start with someone you can relate to," asked Rivet. "Someone like you. And outsider."
Frank thought about it for a moment. "That's actually not a bad idea, Rivet," he said, smiling. "And I think I know just the frog."
"Rivet, you're sure that you're going to be okay with Maddie," Frank asked as he led him and Marcy into the swamp. He asked the young frog because of how he reacted to Maddie the first time he met her. Caught off guard by the frog girl's beauty, he couldn't handle a simple order of bread and ran away.
Frank had to wonder if Maddie was beautiful by frog standards. She was creepy, yes. They were a cuteness to her, in a froggy sort of way. But pretty? Maybe he had to be a frog to see it.
"What?" Rivet asked, blowing a raspberry. "You sound just like Indy when I went to deliver Mr. Flour his new spatula. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
Frank said, "Well, you did freak out and call Maddie pretty when you first met her…"
"Ah, come on, Frank," Marcy said, smiling. "I think it's really cute that Rivet's got a crush."
"Wait, who am I crushing," Rivet asked.
"No, it means you like Maddie."
"But why would it be called crushing? I don't want to crush her."
Marcy placed a hand on his shoulder. "I have so much to teach you about crushing, young frog," she said, acting like a wise and mobile sensei. She then shifted the conversation to Frank. "So, what's this Maddie like? Is she cool? Can she answer the bazillion questions I have about Wartwood? Do you think she'd like Card Wars?"
"Hey!" Frank snapped. "Don't ever bring up that game again."
"Okay, geez."
Putting his hands in his pockets, Frank took a moment to think about how best to describe Maddie. "So, what is the best way to describe Maddie?" he asked mostly himself. "...Well, she's a little on the…creepy side."
"So far so good," Marcy said, nodding.
"She likes making bread," Frank said.
"So far so good."
"And she's really into magic and curses," Frank said, rolling his wrist. "She even helped us out with this curse situation we had…"
Marcy grabbed his shoulders and brought him close to her face. Looked at him with wide eyes that shimmered with amazement. "No freakin' way! A curse user?! Here?!"
"Let go of me."
Excited, Marcy shoved Frank back, causing him to fall into a mud pool. Then she punched the air. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!" she exclaimed, running off into the swamp.
Rivet simply watched her run off to God knows where. Frank got up, covered in mud.
"She's going the wrong way, isn't she," asked Rivet.
Frank sighed. "Yup."
If there were one way to describe Maddie's hideout, it would be like having a secret laboratory in the middle of the darkest parts of the swamp, with only the light of the mushrooms illuminating the darkness. Maddie was certainly mixing a new spell inside a cauldron with boiling green liquid. There was a table next to her with an open grimoire, which the girl frog referred to whenever she needed the next set of instructions. One moment, she's looking at the book, and then next, she's cackling maniacally as she looks at her work.
"Wow…" Rivet said.
"You really like this girl, don't you?" Frank asked, looking at his friend with a smirk and a raised brow.
Rivet blushed again. "Well…yeah…Why wouldn't I?"
He's a good boy, Frank thought as he patted the young frog boy's head. "Well, let's go and introduce you to her," he said before Marcy stopped them.
"Wait! Need to pump myself up." She then turned around. "Okay, Marce. Be cool. Just get out there and introduce yourself with confidence."
She turned around again, with Frank and Rivet staring at her. "You good to go, chap," asked the human boy.
"Yep, all good."
"Alright, now let me go over and talk to her first—"
Marcy was already walking past him toward Maddie
"Hi there!" She said loudly, holding out her hand.
"Aah!" Maddie yelled out of fright at Marcy's sudden appearance and threw a sack of magic at her. Luckily, she missed her head by inches.
"My name's Marcy!"
Marcy introduced herself, not minding the curse that was thrown at her face. Or that the spell exploded into a huge burst of green fire behind her. And while she looked fine, the smart girl fell over and landed on her face. Showing the burn marks, smoke, and small fire on her back.
Everyone looked at her with different reactions. Rivet looked with wide eyes. Maddie looked shocked at what she did, and Frank deadpanned at the stupidity of his best human friend.
"Oh, oops," said Maddie.
Frank waved. "Hey, Maddie."
"Hey, Frank. She's one of you and Anne's friends, right?" The girl frog pointed to Marcy's unconscious body.
"Yep, that's our Marcy," Frank said, smiling at his friend. "…She's okay, right?"
Rivet picked up a stick and poked Marcy's back. Making her groan. "Yep, she's alive," he said, smiling. "If she's okay…I'm not sure." He then turned to Maddie, who looked at the boy who called her so pretty. However, instead of freaking out and running away like the last time, the young inventor waved a friend wave. "Hi! I'm Rivet! Wanna be friends?"
Maddie, blushing from the memory of their first interaction, averted her eyes for a moment before asking, "You…want to be friends?"
"Sure! I like you."
"You don't even know me."
"Well…what's stopping us from knowing each other? You seem cool."
This comment surprised Maddie. "You think I'm cool?"
"Why wouldn't you be?"
Marcy regained consciousness and pushed herself up on her hands. "Oh, my gosh," she cheerfully said, not at all worried about the damage she'd received from Maddie's fire curse. "That was the coolest thing ever! Some kind of low-grade fire curse?"
Maddie, intrigued, said, "I'm impressed you knew that! Do you also have an interest in the dark arts?"
"Are you kidding?! I've read every Cynthia Coven book—five times!" Marcy said, pulling out the first book to her favorite book series (Because, of course, she fucking did, Frank thought). "I searched all over Newtopia for someone who could teach me, but magic users are so rare these days.'
Maddie became even more impressed as she excitedly placed her hands on her cheeks. "Wow! No one's ever interested in what I do! They usually run away screaming!"
Blushing but big, Rivet rubbed his arm. "Well, I'm not running away," he said, making the girl frog blush with him. "So…what do you say?"
For a moment, as Maddie looked at both the boy and the human, she started to truly think about maybe being their friend. After all, she didn't have any. Being a magic user, using curses and arcane spells had driven a lot of people away from her. Not that it helped that she was a bit creepy. For a long time, she didn't mind it. After all, learning the arcane was so much more rewarding. And yet, out of all of the people in the world, it was these three outsiders—weirdos just like her, that wanted to bet her firsts. Both of them had brilliant minds and a great desire to advance their craft and knowledge.
"I'm feeling like a beautiful friendship is about to start," she said, hand under her chin.
A bit later, Frank, Marcy, Rivet, and Maddie returned to the Wartwood. Marcy had so many questions about the town that she still needed answers to quell her curiosity. Luckily for her, the creepy little frog girl had all the answers, thanks to having to do research to find…unspecified items. Together, they sat at the statue in the middle of town, with Marcy writing down everything the frog told her while Rivet balanced himself on the edge, listening to everything.
"Wow," he said, looking down at his footing. "I never knew this entire town was built on top of a swamp." He jumped off the edge and landed in front of Maddie. "But, wait, how come this place never sinks?
"That's because the designers knew exactly how heavy to make everything," Maddie explained, smiling as she kicked her feet.
"Huh, that's…actually pretty cool," Frank said. Marcy was sitting next to him, writing everything down. "So, what's up with the small community mentality going on? Why doesn't everyone take kindly to strangers?"
"Ugh," said Maddie, rolling her eyes. "Don't let them get to you two. People here are very set in the old ways. Meaning that any outsider could disrupt the balance and peace of the village and throw everything into chaos."
"Oh, come on! That's just stupid. Not all outsiders are going to destroy Wartwood."
"Well…"
"What?"
"You and Anne haven't exactly had a clean record when it comes to…keeping the peace."
Frank stared at her for a moment. "Hey, are we talking about us, or are we talking about getting Marcy and Rivet accepted by the town?"
"Well, how did you and Anne get accepted by everyone? " Marcy asked, stopping her writing.
Oh, right, he thought, realizing that Marcy didn't know about what'd happened. "Well, it all started when the toads from Toad Tower sent a patrol down to collect taxes, and the lieutenant at the time, Tartarus, was a murderous psychopath. He was going to take away Bessie, but we weren't gonna let that happen. So I fought him, and he gave me these scars," Frank said, touching his eye and running his finger down the scar that was given to him. "I killed him. It's not something I relish, but I had to do it to survive. And seeing how far I was willing to go for them, everyone finally accepted us."
"Wow, you almost died," asked Rivet.
"I almost died every day since I came to this fucking world."
"Oh, come on, it's not so bad," Marcy said.
"Says the girl that ended up being sent to the royal palace."
"So, what you're saying is that unless I do something big like save the town, I don't have a chance," said Marcy, saddened because she knew she would not be able to gain everyone's trust and acceptance in the short time they had.
"Don't be ridiculous. Of course, they'll accept us!" Rivet said, still trying to be positive.
"You sure about that," asked Marcy. They both looked at Maddie.
"Yeah, sure…" Maddie said. However, it was clear to the others that she was unsure. "They'll warm up to you. It just takes time."
Marcy thought about that. "Time... or maybe a strategy!"`
"Gonna say time still."
"Come on, Maddie! People are just another puzzle to solve!"
Frank shook his head. Just as he was about to save something, the four of them heard the sounds of approaching horses. Or, in this case, approaching giant grasshoppers. Looking down the road leading into town, the group of friends instantly got on high alert by what they saw.
Five grasshoppers hopped their way into the village, alerting everyone as they kicked off and landed as they went. On their back, however, were their riders. Frogs of all shapes and sizes, from men and women, all of their armor in leather armbands, with loss-fitting chainmail and yellow breastplates that looked hastily made and painted out. They were camouflaged in green and brown cloaks. Some of them wore helmets and additional protection.
One would expect the frogs, who looked like rangers, to be armed with bows. Some were, but most had swords at their hips and shields bearing the same symbol on their breastplates. That symbol was an A that cut a circle down the middle and had what could be described as wings.
The grasshoppers rode into town. Frank pulled out his knife, and Marcy cocked her crossbow. They and the two frog kids were now surrounded as the newcomers circled the town square. The rumbling they made brought everyone out of their homes, only to be shocked that there was an army in their town. Even Anne and the other Plantars who were coming into town were at a complete loss.
"What the hell?" Anne yelled.
The jumping insects came to a stop in a ring around the statue of the town's founder. The soldiers dismounted by jumping off. Those who carried flags planted them in the ground. As if to claim the city for themselves. Sending everyone on high alert. There's only been one other time an army had marched on Wartwood, and that was when Sasha came back and brought Grime's army from the Southern Tower. Tartarus was a brutal toad that had killed many of their friends and neighbors for not paying their tithes to the toads. And now, five frogs in armor and weapons just rode into town.
The leader of the frog group, a green male with messy brown hair, jumped down and landed. Looking at the crowd with a smile so charming it had to be faked, he raised his arms to the air and said, "Friends! Brother and sister frogs, do not fear us!"
Muttering in confusion, they all looked at the frog. "Oh, what now," said Mrs. Croaker. "More outsiders?"
"Allow me to introduce myself," said the frog. "I am Filip, a commander of the Frog Liberation Alliance!"
The people of the town gasped in wonder and looked at the five frogs that arrived with wonder. All of them were in awe that they were actually meeting this group, much to Frank's confusion. Not even he and Anne were treated with this good the first time they arrived. "No way," Marcy said with stars in her eyes. "The FLA is here?!"
"Who," Frank asked her.
"You don't know who the FLA is?"
"No."
"How could you not know who the FLA is?!"
"I'm very busy, Marcy!"
Filip walked towards the crowd, smiling as he said, "We seek the one known as Hopediah Plantar. Please present him to us at once."
"He's right here," said Polly, pointing to her grandfather.
"Polly!" the humans and Plantars yelled angrily.
Filip and his warriors turned to the elderly frog. All of them gasped in awe at the sight of the elder frog, who looked like he was about one foot in the grave. A fine specimen of a man. That's the way all of the FLA members saw the frog as Filip approached him like a man on a mission, looking at him with great intensity. The moment he drew his sword, Frank, Marcy, Maddie, and Rivet quickly rushed past the grasshoppers and FLA members, getting in front of Hop Pop to protect him with Anne, Sprig, and Polly, expecting to have to fight the frog off.
And yet, a fight isn't what happened. Instead, the frog knelt down in front of Hop Pop, stabbed his sword into the ground, and bowed his head. "At last, we meet," he said. Behind him, the other frogs bowed their heads, too. "We are honored."
Well, wasn't this a confusing mess? The heroes glanced at one another, wondering what the hell was going on.
"Uh, what," Sprig asked.
"Forgive me," Filip said, standing up, "I am Filip…"
"Yeah, we got that," said Frank. "But what I want to know is who you are, what you are doing here, and what all of this has to do with Hop Pop."
For a moment, Filip looked confused as he gestured to his fellow frogs—two women and two men. "Why, even a creature such as you must have heard about our righteous fight for liberation," he said.
"Uh…"
"Ooo! Ooo! I know!" Marcy excitedly bounced up and down. "Everyone, they're part of the Frog Liberation Alliance. A loosely affiliated movement of frogs that fight for the liberation and rights of frogs in Amphibia. This all comes from the fact that King Andrias' family has created a caste system where frogs are under toads and both are under newts. The FLA wants it abolished and has been leading revolves all over the valley."
Filip laughed and pointed at Marcy with a finger gun. "Correct, my weird-looking friend. You know so much about us," he said with admiration.
"I've been following the development the moment it all started. It all started months ago when not only a toad commander but when a frog ran against a toad for mayor and won the town's votes."
"But lost because of the law that allowed the other towns to have a vote," said Filip, his voice filled with venom and hatred.
As everything that Marcy told him sank him, Frank looked at Filip and the FLA members in shock. He remembered. It was when Sasha invited him and Anne to her room and told them about her deal with Grime to execute Hop Pop that they learned about the rebellion. He remembered her telling him that frogs were 'stepping out of line' and rising up against the toad overlords. Calling for their fellow frogs to take up arms, stand up to their oppressors, end taxation without representation, and for the toads to leave the valley. The election had exposed just how rigged the system was against the frogs and how much the toads wanted them under their boots.
"Wait, you guys are the same rebels Hop Pop inspired," asked Frank, pointing at the frogs in shock.
"Huh," asked Anne.
"Anne, remember when Sasha wanted to execute Hop Pop and how his running for mayor inspired the other frogs in the valley to rise up?"
It took Anne a moment. "Oooooooo…"
"But…" Frank was about to say when a new voice came from the sky.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa, now! What's going on here?" said a voice that was new to Rivet and Marcy but all too familiar and annoying to Frank and the others.
"Ah shit," he said.
From the sky in the direction of the sun, they turned their heads. What they saw was something Frank and Anne had never thought they would see. Nor something that they wanted to see. Both boyfriend and girlfriend always thought that Toadstool was as fat as a balloon and full of himself. But somehow, the toad mayor stooped even lower by turning himself into a giant hot-air balloon. A freak-looking balloon that carried his basket into town and landed on the ground.
"Never seen that balloon before," commented Anne as the proud toad exited his balloon basket and walked up to the humans, Plantars, Maddie, Rivet, and the FLA. "Marcy, Rivet, FLA, meet Mayor Toadstool. He's like if the Monopoly man had a baby with a piece of fried chicken."
"That better be a compliment, Boonchuy," said the mayor.
"We both know it's not," Frank said.
Marcy gasped and leaned down to look at the toad. "So you're the local toad, huh?"
"Right on the money!" Toadstool said, grinning a pompous grin.
"Well," Filip said, pulling his sword out from the ground. "That takes care of having to pull you out of your office."
Toadstool turned to the frog. "Say what now," he asked…
…only to have a sword pointed at his face.
"Whoa…what's going on," he asked with a look of fear in his eyes. Everyone else around them was gasping in shock.
"Rivet!" Indy called from the crowd. Pushing his way to the front, the toad looked at what was going on and saw that his apprentice was with Frank and the others. "Rivet, what the hell's going on—"
He didn't make it to his young apprentice when a bolas was thrown at his legs, wrapping around them and sending the large toad to the ground. The muscular male frog, Yun, rushed over and tried to tie his arms behind his back.
"Get off me!" Indy yelled, but one of the female frogs, Karal, rushed over and shoved his head into the dirt, allowing her comrade to tie his arms.
"Indy! Stop!" Rivet yelled, running towards his master.
Karal saw him coming and grabbed him. Stopping him from reaching Indy. "It's okay, child, you're free now," she said in a soothing voice.
Only to get punched in the face. "I'm not free! You just grabbed me and hurt my master!" Rivet yelled, trying to break out of her hold on him.
"'Master'?"
Yun growled and pulled Indy's face off the ground. "You bastard," he yelled as the toad barred his teeth at him.
The last female frog, named Sam, came out of the crowd of shocked spectators. "Hey, boss! Look who tried to escape," she said, kicking Duckweed out in front of her. His arms were bound together, and a bolas wrapped up his mouth. He whimpered on the ground as he attempted to push away from the frog, only for the last member of the group, Cyn, to stomp on his tail.
"Good," Filip said, turning to glare at Toadstool. "Now, let's—"
"That's enough!" Frank rushed in and rushed his sword to bash Filip's sword out of his hand and out of his hand. "Let them go!"
"Filip!" Karal yelled, about to draw her sword. Anne, however, grabbed her arm in a death grip, stopping her from attacking.
That's when Maddie, standing on Anne's shoulder, pulled out one of her curses and glared at the liberator with anger. "You better let go of Rivet, or I swear to frog…"
Karal released Rivet, who ran to Indy.
"You too, buddy!" Maddie yelled at Yun, making him raise his arms and back away.
"Indy!" Rivet exclaimed in relief, quickly untying his master.
"What?!" Cyn exclaimed as Marcy aimed her crossbow at him and Sam, allowing the Plantars to pull him away. "What the hell's going on?"
Staring at the boy who'd killed Tartarus in confusion and shock, Filip looked at Hop Pop, who'd set Duckweed free. "I…I don't understand," he said, as if his worldview was violated. "Hopediah, you would defend these trespassers?!"
"The only trespassers are you," Hop Pop said angrily. "You can't just come into our town and just drag our neighbors like they're criminals!"
"How could you say that?" Karal asked, appalled, as Anne and Maddie went back away from her. "After everything they've done to us. To our people! Why would you turn your backs on frog-kind when it was you that started this? We all started this rebellion because of you, everyone in the FLA!"
"What," Frank asked.
"That's right," said Karal. "And every since that election, more and more frogs have joined under the banner of the FLA to end the rule of the toads and kick them and the newts out of the valley."
The moment they said that, the eyes of the humans and their friends widened. "Uh, when you mean kicking them out, you're only talking about the bad toads and newts, right?"Anne said nervously.
The five frog liberators looked at her with confused looks.
"Right?"
"HA! She said good toads and newts," said a taller frog, Marcus.
"My dear, there are no good or bad newts," Filip said with a smirk. "Only those that will allow us to be free freely…or face the wrath of the FLA."
"If that's the case, can you take away these outsiders," Mr. Flour said, standing next to Mrs. Croaker and Wally.
Wally exclaimed. "Hear, hear!"
"Hey, shut up!" Frank yelled at them.
"Look, whatever you are," Filip said, glaring at Frank. "This has nothing to do with you and your kind. They must pay for the sins of their people."
"Sins of their people?" Anne exclaimed, eyebrow raised. "Yo, that's messed up! Indy and Rivet didn't do anything wrong. They just wanted a fresh start and a new life outside of the city."
Felicia crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "And they couldn't have done it somewhere else?"
"Now's not the time!" Polly yelled.
"Filip, please," Hop Pop said, pleading with the rebel. "You can't just force them out of their homes. They're innocent."
"He's right!" Rivet said, frowning at the frogs that were supposed to be fighting for the rights of frogs. "Indy's my master, and I'm his apprentice. Not only that, he's like my adopted dad."
This shocked the other members of the FLA. A frog being adopted by a toad? It was outrageous and unheard of.
"Is this true," asked Filip
Indy rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I didn't sign any official papers—"
"Then he's not your son."
"Like hell, he ain't, and no one is going to take him away from me!"
"And I've done nothing wrong," yelled Duckweed.
Stumpy said, "You were going to put me out of business!"
"Stumpy!" Sprig yelled.
"What? It's true."
Frank sighed in annoyance. "Alright, enough," he said, holding up his hands. "Look, if you want to remove Toadstool from power, go right ahead."
"What?!" Toadstool exclaimed, looking at the human in shock.
"Hell, you can place Toadie in charge for all we care," Frank said, throwing his arms up.
Toadie, who was hiding behind the mayor, popped out. "Really?"
"Toadie!" Toadstool yelled.
"But you will not force them out of the valley! You don't have the authority to relocate them, no matter what the toads or the newts did," Frank said, glaring at Filip, who glared back at him.
"Are you saying that you and your friends are declaring yourselves enemies of the revolution," he asked.
"Wow, looks like we got a hypocrite here," Frank said, smirking at the frog. "Didn't you treat us like the founders of the revolution? You and the FLA wouldn't be shit if it weren't for us. So, are you really gonna accuse the people who inspired your movement of being against it? That wouldn't look good to you."
For a moment, the two leaders stared each other down. Frank became satisfied with the look of frustration Filip had, knowing that he'd ruined his plan of kicking out the three innocent villagers. Oh, and Toadstool. Frank had to remember that Toadstool's life was on the line, too. If it really mattered to Frank all that much. And it didn't. But it was all to get these FLA radicals out of his town. And for a moment, it seemed to be working.
"You may want them to stay, but what about the people?"
And just like that, the wrench was thrown into his plan.
"Huh?"
"How about this," said Filip, a smirk forming on his face. "We'll let the people vote on their fates. If they want them to stay, they'll cast their vote for them to stay. And if they don't, then we'll be taking the losers out of the valley."
"Uh, just for the record, if they want me to stay," Toadstool said nervously, popping up between the two. "does that mean that I can still keep being major?"
"It means we don't take your head," Filip growled.
The toad gulped. "Yes, of course."
"And if they want them to stay, that means you'll have to leave the village," Frank said, pointing at Filip and his gang.
Filip stared at him for a moment before narrowing his eyes. "Deal."
He walked over to his sword and picked it up. Filip then turned to his band of liberators and motioned for them to mount their steeds. They each nodded, retrieving their weapons, and got back on their grasshoppers.
"We'll be back tomorrow," Filip said, raising his fist. "The work towards liberation begins, and we will be the hand that guides you, brothers and sisters of Wartwood!"
And just like that, they rode off down the road. Leaving the town and the frogs to make their own decisions. Frank sighed in annoyance. Just when they were on the way to getting back home, a new problem he and the others created reared its ugly head.
"Welp," Frank said, looking at the crowd. "You all heard them. We've got to vote to allow each of them to stay."
"Or…Or…we take this moment to remember who the outsiders are and offer them to the FLA," Toadstool said, with Toadie helping him up. And by help, I mean having his head used to push himself up. "I mean, after all, they are just unwanted outsiders. Am I right, y'all?"
He was grabbed at the front of his outfit. "I wouldn't be acting all smug, you fat fuck," Frank said, getting into his face. "Don't forget, you're a part of this too. And as far as we're all concerned, you're out of the job."
Toadstool shoved him back. "No, I'm not!"
"Tell that to the FLA," said Sprig.
"Oh, frog, I'm homeless!" Albus Duckweed yelled, crying.
"Aren't you the most popular critic in town," Sprig asked.
"Popularity doesn't equal being rich!"
"Indy," said Rivet said, looking at his mentor sadly. "Are we really going to leave?"
Indy had a hard time trying to come up with an answer. The toad was usually so blunt with his answers to his apprentice. There was no use in lying if Rivet wanted to be a blacksmith. But this wasn't like one of his lessons. "I…"
"Not unless you all vote to have everyone stay," Marcy said with a big smile. "Think about it. The FLA gave us the choice. If we all choose to have everyone stay in the valley, no one has to leave."
"And why should we do anything an outsider like you said," asked Mrs. Croaker.
"Alright, that's it," Frank said, rolling up his sleeve to give the old woman a beating. However, he was stopped when Marcy's arm blocked him.
"Frank, no, I've got this," she said. Marcy approached the townsfolk. Some of them looked at her with suspicion. "Look, I get it. I'm new here, and you don't trust me, but if we all work together, we can keep the FLA from taking anyone away. Come on, you guys are slow to accept and respect, but really? Do you want to really kick anyone out of town, uproot their lives, and all for a revolution you're not even a part of?"
This gave the town a moment of pause as they looked at one another. Would they? That's the question that was going through Frank and Anne's minds.
"Marcy, are you sure about this," Anne asked nervously. "These guys might use this as a chance to get rid of Rivet and Indy."
"Do you really think they'll do that," Sprig asked, looking at his friend with an expression of disapproval.
"Well, they hate them," Frank said, backing up his girlfriend.
"Frank, Anne," said Hop Pop, "We're slow to accept and respect, but last time I checked, we never wanted to get rid of you."
"You all wanted to get rid of us the FIRST time you met us!"
"Oh yeah…"
"Not to mention they just asked the FLA to take away 'the outsiders'," Frank said in frustration. He then turned back to the people and walked towards them with intent. "I thought we were passed this bullshit! You know, with you all learning just to accept and respect new people."
Most looked away with a mixture of shame and stubbornness. That's right. Frank still remembered how he and Anne were treated, and he knew that the couple's saving them on more than one occasion was supposed to have changed them. After all that, here they were, going back to their old ways.
Indy sighed and started walking away. "Alright, I know when we're not wanted," he said, knowing that it was too much to hope.
"What?!" Rivet exclaimed, running in front of his master to stop him. "Master, you can't be serious. Sure, they might not accept us yet, but…"
"What's the fucking point of staying in a place where you'll never be accepted," Indy said, throwing up his arms.
"But they will," Rivet said, still very hopeful that he and his master will be accepted into the town. The boy's endless optimism could light the night into day.
"He's right," said Maddie as she and Marcy walked up to them. "Look, I get it. It's not a great tradition, and I hate it, but my people are not cruel. They would never actively try and force someone out of the village."
Frank cleared his throat and started talking in Mr. Flour's voice. "'If that's the case, can you take away these outsiders.'" He then switched over to Wally's voice. "'Hear, hear!'"
He glanced at the two frogs in question.
"What's up, fuck ups?"
"Well, this time, it's going to be different," Marcy said, shocking those around her. She had suffered the same treatment as Frank and Anne did when they first came to town, the same treatment Rivet and Indy were forced to live by. "I'm sure that not only will this make the people like me, but it will show that they're still willing to accept both of you and your apprentice, Indy. So let's do this!"
And so it was. Marcy, using Rivet's building skins, constructed an elegant voting box. Maddie complimented him on his craftsmanship. "Wow, that's so amazing," she said with a friendly smile, making Rivet blush brightly.
"Oh yes…" the two kids looked to see Loggle inspecting the box with a very close eye. "Very well done. Very well…"
Indy took his apprentice and pulled him away.
Then, Marcy worked for hours, drawing up voting ballets for everyone in the town. On the back of each one, she drew on her symbol: herself giving a peace sign that said, "Marcy Wuz Here!" in a speech bubble. Then she handed them off to her friends.
Together, Frank, Anne, and the Plantars passed them all out. It didn't even take some of them a minute to make their vote and put it in the box. Further unnerving the human couple.
"This can't be good," she said after they passed all the ballets out.
"Well, who knows," Frank said. "Maybe they'll surprise us."
Frank didn't like surprises, especially when they involved his friends' lives and livelihoods. That's why he and Anne armed themselves the next day. With their weapons, they waited with the townsfolks, watching with serious scowls as the FLA returned.
"Good morning, brothers and sisters," Filip said, dismounting his grasshopper.
"Last time I checked, we didn't come from the same womb, bro," Anne said, arms crossed.
"No, but to the FLA, all frogs are family," he said. "I take it you have your votes?"
"As a matter of fact, we do!" Marcy said with triumph as she pulled out the voting box, filled to the brim with ballets. "Read 'em and weep!"
She tossed the box at him, but Filip caught it. Yun walked over with a table in hand and sat on the ground. The leader of the team opened the box and poured the ballets on the table. Then, the five liberators took to counting the votes.
Marcy's smile grew as they each stacked the ballots onto one pile, with no one placing a vote aside. Each frog saw that they were getting the same ballot. This was it. This would finally show the town that they could accept her and that they were willing to accept Rivet and Indy.
Filip laughed after the votes were finally counted. "Well, I must say, I'm impressed," he said with a snake-like smile.
"Ha! See? I know it," Marcy said triumphantly.
"Indeed. I'm so happy that Wartwood made the right decision," said Filip, nodding. "Take the prisoners."
"Huh?" Marcy blinked.
Gasps ripped across the crowd as Karal, Yun, Cyn, and Sam walked into the crowd.
"What? But…" Rivet was cut off when the lashing tongues of Karal and Cyn grabbed Indy's arms. "No!" he yelled when his foster father was dragged to the front of the crowd. "Don't!"
Toadstool's eyes widened with fear, and he nervously backed away. It wasn't until Duckweed had a tongue wrapped around his neck and pulled off his feet that the mayor turned one away, only for Yun to land in front of him.
"Oh boy!" Toadstool yelled and tried to run back the other way. Only for Filip's sword to block his path.
"Please, don't fight this," Filip said with a smirk.
"Stop!" Marcy yelled, hands raised and waving. "There must be some mistake. I saw you all counting! T-They all should have said stay on it!"
Filip looked at his band, and they all started laughing. "Oh, my dear," he said, looking at Marcy like she was a stupid girl. "So confident. So foolish to how this world works that you didn't think of the possibility that they would all say Go."
This revelation hit Marcy hard as her stomach turned, leaving Filip unchallenged as he looked at Toadstool. The greedy toad was on his knees, about to start begging.
"Still, you are the toad that ignited our revolution, so I guess we wouldn't kill you," he said, sheathing his sword. "But you wouldn't be coming back."
"No way!" Frank yelled, about to stop them with Anne and the Plantars. However, they were stopped by Sam and Cyn, both of them pulling out their swords.
"Kid, don't," yelled Indy, his arms already in shackles, along with Duckweed, who was sobbing.
"But Indy!"
"If you do anything, they might hurt the people," said the toad. "Please, just take care of Rivet!"
Hearing his name, Rivet ran towards his master. "No!" He yelled, crying as he hugged him. "No! I don't want you to go! I'm going with you!"
Filip, confused, asked, "You would rather be exiled with this toad? After everything their kind did to us?!"
Enraged, the little frog boy shouted, "So what if he's a toad?! He's my father and my mentor! He raised me! He taught me! Toad or not, I'm not letting you take him away! You all say that you fight for frog rights, but what about the right to live with toads and frogs as equals!?"
His eyes narrowed as Filip reached for his sword's pummel.
"Rivet, stop."
His tearful eyes looked back at Indy in shock and sadness. "What? But…"
"Kid, let these fuckers have their way," he said, kneeling down and patting his head with his arms still chained up. "You are my son, and I'll love ya. And, hey, you've got Marcy and her big-ass bird. You can visit me anytime you want."
With tears running down his face and his lips trembling, Rivet hopped up and hugged the toad who'd become his mentor and father. Indy, a usually hard and vulgar toad, hugged his son back. Their moment ended when Yun grabbed the back of Rivet's shirt and pulled him away. Placed down on the ground, where he fell on his hands and knees.
"W-Wait! Let's come up with an arrangement!" Toadstool exclaimed, dragged in chains to stand behind the sobbing Duckweed and the brave Indy. "I-I've got money! I can tax the people and pay you—"
Filip punched him across the face, making Toadie gasp and faint into Wally's arms. "You disguise me," the liberator hissed.
He then hopped up onto the back of his grasshoppers. His fellow climbed aboard, with Sam carrying the voting box under her arm. One of the votes slipped out and landed on the ground.
"At long last, people of Wartwood, you're liberated!" Filip declared with a grin like he'd just won a great battle. He raised his fist over his head. "Believe in the FLA!"
The grasshoppers crawled away from the town down the stress, towing behind them their prisoners. All the people of Wartwood can do is watch—too stunned to do anything. Even Marcy was paralyzed to do anything. "This…This wasn't supposed to happen," she said, shocked.
Maddie looked to Rivet, who was on his knees, crying for the loss of his father. He was now an orphan again and an apprentice without a master. "Rivet," she said, hesitantly walking up to her new friend. Her hand is hesitant to touch his shoulder.
Angry, Maddie turned back to the frogs and glared at them.
"What," asked Felicia.
"'Oh, our motto is to be slow to accept, and even slower to respect.'" Maddie said, sounding like a dummy, before pointing at everyone. "Now, with all due respect, I'm gonna have to ask you to shut up! Think about what you've done! What is wrong with all of you!?"
"But Maddie," her father tried to explain.
"Just save it! Why is it so hard for you to just accept Rivet and Indy? They did nothing wrong! What could justify the way you've been treating everyone new to town? And what about everyone that did experience that treatment? How could you possibly want to inflict that same alienation onto someone else? How many of you were new to town and suffered that same treatment?!"
A few of the frogs shamefully raised their hands.
"Get your fucking hand up, Walliam!" Frank yelled, pointing at the one-eyes frog.
"But…" Wally tried to say, but Frank wasn't having it.
"No! Maddie's right," he said firmly. "The first time we came to town, you wanted to get rid of us, and it took having my face almost caved in for you all to finally see that you were wrong to treat me and Anne the way you did. What could have possibly changed?"
"But Frank, none of us voted to kick them out," Wally finally had the chance to say.
Silence fell on the town as the humans, and Maddie looked at the frogs in complete shock. Maddie raised an eyebrow at Hop Pop's statement, "What did you just say?"
Anne wanted to investigate this as well. "Okay, a show of hands... who wanted Rivet and Indy to stay?"
Everyone in town raised their hands, and the Thai girl counted all of them.
"Wait…what?"
"We all followed the plan," said Loggle.
Felicia pointed up. "We all wanted for them to stay."
Frank looked at the people he and Maddie accused in complete shock. "B…But I thought you all…" He didn't have to finish his sentence. But it was clear why Frank would have thought they would vote out Indy.
Shamefully, Wally took off his hat. "Frank, we thought about what Marcy said to us, and we also thought about what you said. And…well, yeah, you were right. We realized that we were treating Marcy, Rivet, and Indy just like we treated you."
"But why still treat Marcy, Rivet, and Indy so badly," asked Anne.
"Old habits die hard, youngsters," said Sandy Croaker, "and it's a habit that we're still trying to overcome." She then walked over to Rivet, and the little frog looked up at her with tearful eyes. With a kind smile, she offered a hand. "It still doesn't justify the way we've been."
For a moment, Rivet looked at her and her hand before taking it and standing up. Smiling a bit. However, confused, the team of heroes looked at one another. "But…I don't understand," Marcy said, trying to comprehend what was going on.
"Uh, guys." The people all turned to see Sprig, and Polly had found the ballet that dropped. With his sister on his head, the pink frog boy looked over the ballet before holding it up. "We may have a problem," said Sprig.
Taking it from Sprig, Marcy reviewed the ballet, then flipped it over and looked at the bottom right-hand corner.
"This…This isn't my ballet," she said in complete shock.
"What?!" the human couple exclaimed. The frogs gasped and muttered to each other behind them.
"Guys, someone switched out the ballets!" Marcy exclaimed.
"Oh no!" Rivet yelled, grabbing his head.
"But who would do such a thing," asked Maddie.
Anne thought for a moment. "Toadstool? He's committed voter fraud in the past, right?"
"Toadstool wouldn't have rigged the election if it meant he'd lose, Anne," Frank said. "This was someone else."
"Yes…" Hop Pop said, rubbing his chin. "Someone that wanted all three of them out of the village and was willing to lie and cheat to have their way…"
It didn't take long for Marcy to realize who had done it. At that moment, her face turned into an expression of fear.
"Oh no."
Duckweed wouldn't stop crying, even when the group stopped at a river. The FLA allowed their grasshoppers to have a drink while their prisoners sat around the campfire. For someone so confident and high and mighty about his work and criticizing others, he'd broken down like a baby about having everything taken from him.
"Wake up, Albus," he said, sniffling and hiccuping. "You're…You're…You're in a b-b-b-b-b-bad dream, a-a-a-a-nd you need to WAKE UP!" Again, he burst into tears.
"Will you shut the fuck up!" Indy roared, startling the newt. "You're not dead! You're getting relocated."
"That's pretty much death for someone like me!" Duckweed snapped. "I can't survive outside of Wartwood. In the world of critics, I'm a small fry!"
Indy rolled his eyes. Then Filip walked back over and sat down on a log. He pulled out his sword and started sharpening it with a whetstone.
"Do you understand what you're doing," Toadstool asked Filip. "A toad needs to be in charge of Wartwood. If there's no toad, Toad Tower will send someone else. And they'll either send someone else or destroy the town. You know, if you think about it, I'm doing the people a big favor by being mayor. And, you know, since I saved a couple of lives at Toad Tower, people have been seeing me a little differently. I'm a frog-damn hero!"
Filip scuffed. "One act of kindness doesn't erase what you are, mayor. A product of a brutal regime and a member of a race that benefits from it."
"Whoa, now that's not far," said Indy.
"Of course, it's not. But neither are the lives that we've been forced to live. We've all suffered the cruelty of the crown and his toad enforcers."
"Then fight the Toad army. Don't punish those that didn't have anything to do with your suffering."
Filip laughed cynically. "Right, because that's what the toads would. And yet, they haven't. Wartwood was spared what's been going on all over the valley because no toad would dare come and fight the two humans. Because they're afraid of the power that frogs have. After all, isn't that how revolutions start," he asked, pulling out a stack of papers from his pocket. "All because those at the bottom don't realize the power they have and decide they're going to wield it."
Indy's eyes looked at the stack of papers and realized they were Marcy's voting ballets.
"How can Wartwood realize the power they have if they vote to have their oppressors living with them," asked Filip, dropping the ballets into the fire.
Indy, Duckweed, and the mayor looked at the votes in shock. "They…They wanted me as their mayor," Toadstool asked, tearing up.
"And you see the problem," Filip said, standing up with his sword in hand.
It was then that his three prisoners understood the deranged frog's motives. If Wartwood, the town that inspired a rebellion, wanted Toadstool to serve as their toad mayor, could the revolution truly be legitimate? If the FLA truly wanted the support of all frogs in Amphibia, it needed Wartwood. It required the people who started their fight for liberty. How would it look if they still allowed toads and newts to live with them?
Filip snapped his fingers. Sam, Cyn, and Yun walked towards their captives and drew their swords, too. Ready to end their lives.
"Kill the mayor first," their leader said.
With a cruel grin, Yun grabbed the toad as he struggled to break his bounds. The large frog then raised his sword and then swung down…
CLASH!
…only for Teshin to block it with his scythe.
"Huh?" Yun looked at the scytheman in shock.
"Good day," he said, then dropped two smoke bombs with lit fuses.
Teshin lashed his tail out and wrapped it around his leg, pulling it hard and making Yun fall to the ground. At the same time, the smoke bombs went off. Concealing the liberators and their prisoners in a thick grey smoke.
"The fuck is going on?!" Karal yelled as she and the others looked all around, trying to find where their attackers were.
"Find that newt!" Filip yelled, not seeing a shadowy figure rising up behind him.
"I'm a salamander."
"RAH!" The hard-line FLA leader roared as he swung his sword around at the figure…
SLASH!
His sword cut through the neck of Yun, who was being held up by Teshin's tail. As Filip gasped in shock as blood slipped on his face, his comrade's now dead body was dropped, showing that Teshin was standing right behind him.
The salamander nomad lifted his head slightly; his bright yellow eyes seemingly glowed as they glared at Filip.
He attacked. Swinging his scythe around at Filip, making him parry all his attacks as the smokescreen dissipated. Filip tried to slash at Teshin, but a blow from the blade of a scythe blocked him. He then pushed him back and then, with his weapon upside down and held near the base of the blade, jabbed Filip in the chest. Knocking him away and onto his back.
Now able to see, Sam, Karal, and Cyn rushed to the salamander.
First, Cyn swung his sword over his head and down to chop Teshin in half. But Teshin blocked him with the staff of his scythe. He then twirled around and lashed out his tail. Whipping him in the face.
Together, the women ran at Teshin from two sides. His right and left. A basic and good move. But for the salamander, it wasn't anything to worry about. With the reach of his scythe, he batted away Karal's sword away, knocking her off balance and making her stumble. At the same time, his tail wrapped around Sam's wrist and twisted, making her cry out of in pain, drop her sword, and then throw her away.
Karal got back up and ran at him in blind rage. How dare this salamander dominate them, just like the newts and toads. She thrust her sword at him. Teshin tossed his scythe behind him and caught it with his tail. Then, with his arms behind his back, he gracefully dodged her stabs by moving from side to side.
Ending her stabs, Teshin saw her swinging her sword at him at an angle. He easily bashed her sword away from him.
"You filth!" Karal yelled, twirling around and swinging at him again.
Teshin ducked his head. At the same time, Sam tried to attack him from behind. Karal gasped but couldn't stop her moment in time. She chopped her friend's head out in her blind rage.
No, it was the salamander.
Yelling, she attacked Teshin again, but he swiftly moved out of the way of her sword. Then, using his scythe, he hooked Karal with his blade and pushed her to the right…
…ending her life by putting her in the path of Filip's sword. Cutting her across her chest with a single slash.
Grabbing his comrade, Filip threw her body away. She was in the way of killing the salamander.
Teshin blocked his attack and jumped back. At the same time, Cyn got back up and grabbed his sword. He walked back over to his leader. Together, they stared at Teshin as the nomad rested his weapon on his shoulder.
"You're going to die here, newt!" Filip said with venom in his voice.
"I'm sure I said I'm a salamander," said Teshin.
"What difference does it make! You just attacked a band of liberators and killed three of us! Who sent you? The toads? The king?"
Teshin said, "Try Myra."
That seemed to make Filip angrier as he gritted his teeth and looked with complete hatred.
"The FLA got word of what you and your cell have been doing to the toads and newts you found in the valley, and they're not happy," Teshin told Filip and Cyn. "They said that they want to free the valley from the rule of the Toad Army and Newtopia. Force their officials out, not litter the valley with the bodies of innocent toads and newts who had nothing to do with the occupation."
"Myra is a dreamer!" Filip shouted. "She thinks that frogs can live in peace with the toads and newts. Make the FLA a legitimate government. But why should they be allowed to live? We need to make them all pay for what they've done!"
Teshin sighed and shook his head. "Then your hatred is what will destroy you."
Filip yelled a battle cry and attacked. Teshin swatted his sword away from cutting him, then moved around him and whipped him in the back with his tail, sending him to his chest. Cyn swung at his head, but Teshin blocked his sword and whacked his head with the end of his staff. Disortiatating him.
Then, with a heavy swing, he slashed his scythe across Cyn's chest. Killing him.
Now, it was just him and Filip.
Filip charged. Teshin ran towards him but then stabbed the head of his scything into the ground, pole-vaulted over the radical frog, and shocked his opponent.
Landing on the ground, Teshin jumped back from another swing from Filip's sword. The frog slashed at him again, but Teshin blocked it with the curved blade. He swung his scythe over his head and swung at Filip's head. He would have killed him if the radical hadn't ducked his head.
Filip raised his sword over his head. "For the revol—AAAAH!" He screamed in agony the moment a small crossbow bolt was shot through his wrist. He dropped his sword on the ground and clenched his arm.
Turning to where the bolt came from, his eyes widened.
"That's for messing with my ballets, jerk," said Marcy with a grin as she lowered her arm to load another bolt.
With her, Frank and Anne had out their weapons. Anne had her sword, and her boyfriend had both his scythe and sword—held in his right and left hand, respectively. Behind them, everything came with their pitchforks and torches. The same mob weapons they would have used against Marcy are now used to save their friends and neighbors. Rivet and Maddie stood together, with the boy holding a hammer and the girl having a curse ready in each hand.
Panting, Filip looked at the people with a wild expression. He looked more like a feral animal, the antithesis of the confident, smooth-talking liberator he had presented himself as yesterday.
"Brothers…sisters…you've come to my rescue!" Filip yelled with a smile. He waved his good hand to the bodies of his comrades. "This salamander attacked my men and killed them. He's anti-revolution and must be destroyed before he kills us all."
Frank shook his head. "Dude, just stop. We know what you did, and it's not cool?"
Filip's mood did a complete 180. "Not cool? Is it not cool to make you all realize the power you had!? Your town is the face of our movement. You gave everyone who the toads and newts oppressed hope! And yet you refused to take revenge on your oppressors!"
"What are you talking about," asked Sprig. "We destroyed the south tower."
"You really think that's enough?!" Filip roared, enraged and insane. "No! They're all parasites that are bleeding our kind dry! They all need to pay for what they've done to our people, and I am going to be the one to lead the FLA to their true purpose! We'll liberate the valley of all newts and toads and destroy the Toad Army, kill every single one of them, and then take Newtopia and burn it—"
Teshin removed his head from his shoulders with a swift swing. Silencing the frog as his body fell to the ground. It genuinely shocked the people. But still, Filip was dead, mid-sentence of showing just how far gone he was. Whatever happened to him to make him like this? They'll never know.
"INDY!" Rivet cried out as he and Maddie ran to him. The boy frog jumped onto his master and hugged him tightly.
The gruff and tough toad smiled gently. Even with his arms bound behind his back, he rugged his cheek in his apprentice/son's head. "I'm alright, kid."
"Oh, I would like to be freed now, please," Duckweed said. He saw Toadie running over and thought he would, but only for the small frog to run past him and go for the mayor. Freeing him instead.
While the prisoners were being freed, Frank turned to Teshin.
"Thank you," he said.
Teshin, glancing at him, said, "It would have been troublesome if you went on a quest for revenge. Especially when you still have three more gems to charge, star-child."
Frank, Anne, and Marcy gasped as the boy walked over to Teshin.
"Gems? Do you know about the Calamity Gems," Frank asked. "Where are they? What are the—"
In an instant, Teshin trailed three meters to Frank and placed the tip of his scythe's blade against his neck.
"I am warning you," said the salamander, looking at the startled boy. "You think that you're ready for what is to come, but you're not. Not in the ways that matter here. Though you've unlocked your powers, behind them, you're still just a child."
Anne pulled Frank away, and the Thai girl glared at the salamander. "It's a Good thing he's not alone," she said, holding her sword in a fighting stance. The others joined her.
Admirable, Teshin thought, but he knew it wouldn't be enough. He lowered his scythe and started walking away.
"Come to my temple unprepared, star-children, and you will answer to my scythe," he said, placing his weapon on his shoulder.
And just like that, he disappeared into the woods, leaving just as mysteriously as he'd arrived. As he left, Frank and the others looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion and worry.
Just what was waiting for them inside the temples?