9. S1: Anne and the Toads

Drip

Drip

Drip

Droplets dripped from the cracked ceiling onto the cobblestone floor in a sequential fashion. Drip drip drip, the sounds bounced off from the stone. Moss slowly grew out of the point of impact and slowly spread itself around it, like an infection.

Prison cells in Toad Tower were nothing like those back on Earth. It was dark, wet and obviously failed any form of safety standard. There were skeletons behind the bars, still chained up to the wall. Either the guards weren't doing the job of disposing of the body or they simply didn't care. The worst part was that it was difficult to decide which one was worse.

The cells only had one small window, allowing moonlight to enter the otherwise pitch-black room. The torches by the walls were lit but grew dimmer every minute. It was like this for most days, rarely had the torches extinguish. But even then, the room was mostly dark with shadows creeping in every corner.

Suddenly, the sole door opened, letting more light flood the room. Even the hallways were well-lit than the prisons. From the outside walked in a battle-scarred toad, wearing a commander's leather armour and cape, fitting for someone of his position. Following him were two other toads, slightly smaller than him and obviously younger, carrying pikes. They looked inexperienced.

The two toads briskly stepped towards the torches, refuelling them so the flame glowed brighter. With every renewed torch, the room started to shine and the shadows disappeared one by one.

"Good evening, Anne. It seems you're wide awake as usual." He spoke, his tone matching his intimidating appearance.

Inside the cells was a young teenage girl, her right foot shackled to the wall by an iron chain. Her skin was of dark tone and her hair was reminiscent to a bird's nest. She wore a collared purple shirt with an emblem in the centre and some short pants. She was also missing a shoe.

The girl, Anne, said nothing to respond.

"Quiet as ever, I see. I'm surprised you managed to last this long but then again, you're quite lucky. Toad Tower doesn't often take prisoners." The amphibian spoke. "Honestly, if you had only told me the whereabouts of your companions, you would've walked free."

"Oh yeah, into the forest of death." Anne finally replied, sarcastically too. "I maybe fourteen years old but even I'm not that stupid. Besides, I told you before and I'll tell you again; I. Don't. Know."

"LIAR!" He slammed his large hands onto the cell bars, shaking the room with an echo. Dust briefly sprinkled from the cracked ceiling and Anne recoiled from the volume.

The toad took deep breaths, calming down his anger before growling in annoyance. "Why is it so hard for you to cooperate? If I secure your safety once I let you go, will that suffice?"

"Well, I can't cooperate! For one thing, I don't even know if I can trust you! And two, I don't know where they are! I've been in this crummy place for over two weeks now. Do you really think I know?!"

He growled. "You are the only one capable of knowing! No one else!" With a throw of his cape, he turned around and stomped his way out to the door. He looked at his compatriots and yelled. "YOU TWO!"

"Uh yes, sir?!" "Huh? Oh, sir!"

"Keep watch of our prisoner! If she does anything escape-worthy, stop her with whatever means necessary. Understood?!"

"Yes, sir!" "Right away, sir!" The two toads nervously saluted, watching their superior leave the room. With a pull, he shut the prison door with a bang, scaring the remaining people. After a few seconds of silence, sure that he won't suddenly return, the two toads sighed in relief.

"Gosh, he's so scary…" One toad said, pulling out a small handkerchief and wiping his forehead. His voice was somewhat pitched and he wore an oddly curved helmet, reminiscent of an upside-down boat.

"Orders are orders. No point complaining about that." The other remarked. His froggy skin tone was reddish in colour and he had horns growing out of his head which probably led to his lack of headwear. Despite looking gruffer than his partner, he still looked fairly young.

Putting their weapons by the wall, the two quickly grabbed themselves a chair and sat down, knowing it was going to be a long day.

Schwing-clang!

"Oh no, oh geez…!"

Anne, who was then asleep, groggily opened her eyes to the noise. She had slept on a pile of hay by the centre of the cell, seeing that it was the only place not moist or hard. With her half-awake consciousness, she inspected the room in order to find the source of that racket.

There, by the wall, was the helmet-wearing toad, slowly picking up some weapons from the ground. He had accidentally tipped over the rack, causing its contents to fall out which in turn, caused the loud noise. His partner, the red toad, was by the other wall, staring at him bemusedly.

"Aren't you going to help me?" The helmet toad asked. In response, the red toad just shrugged. "Eh, not my fault. So not my problem."

Looking up by the window, Anne noticed the moon still up in the sky. Night has yet to pass, meaning she hadn't been asleep for long. But since she was awake now, there was no way she was going back to sleep again, not with that noise.

Nothing else to do then. "Hey."

The two toads froze for a second and turned towards her. Anne, sensing the heavy atmosphere, continued. "What are you guys here for?"

The helmet toad's eyes shifted. "Uh… Huh?"

"I mean, this place kinda sucks. So I just thought you–" She rubbed her head awkwardly. "– didn't choose to work here."

"Oh, well–"

"Hey!" shouted the red toad. "Staple! Don't talk to the prisoner!"

"Eep! Right! Sorry, Wright!" Staple, the helmet-wearing toad, frantically went back to pick up the weapons. Anne huffed in annoyance as the conversation stopped so abruptly. Thus, she turned to the other toad instead. "What about you?"

"What about me?" He replied with an angry tone.

"Why are you here for?"

He scoffed. "Heh, why should I tell a prisoner like you?"

Anne shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, it is a long night and I don't see you guys leaving any time soon. So why not? Like, aren't you guys bored?"

The red toad, known as Wright, opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out. He couldn't think of a good answer. He was starting to get bored and it wasn't like the prisoner could escape that easily. She was taller than them for sure but her body was so lanky and weak, like a twig. Thinking about it, she somewhat looked like a small tree.

"I chose to come to Toad Tower. Outside of that is none of your business." He spoke.

Anne's eyes shot open. "Wait, you wanted to come here? Like, why? This place is horrible!"

"Hey!" He stood up from his chair. "Toad Tower is the sole protector against all threats from outside of the valley! If it weren't for us, all of the valley's folks would've been food paste!"

"Pssh, you expect me to believe that?" Anne waved it off. "Sounds like a load of malarkey."

Wright gritted his teeth in anger. How dare this talking flesh-tree talk about Toad Tower this way?! Its existence was vital to the valley and its people. Everyone knew that and this thing had the nerve to insult it?

"Why you little–!" He stomped his way to the cell, ready to choke the life out of her but was stopped by Staple, blocking his path. "WAIT, STOP! WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO HURT THE PRISONER!"

"But she–!"

"Commander Grime will definitely scold us if we do!"

Immediately, the blood from his face drained at his words, his eyes and mouth gawking. The helmet toad was right; despite the insults she threw, Anne was still important to their commander. After all, there were more of her kind running around the place, probably even in the valley. This flesh-tree was the only way to find them.

The red toad clicked his tongue and glanced to the floor. "Fine." Unbeknownst to the helmet-wearing one, Anne childishly stuck her tongue out at him. All Wright could do was grit his teeth.

After a minute or so, everything went back to its quiet calm atmosphere. Anne was still behind bars and from the way the moon looked, daylight was not even close. She could try to go back to sleep, considering her initial idea of starting conversations went awry, but the pile of flattened hay was not a comfortable bed.

"Ugh, so bored…" She groaned loudly. She was in no place to demand entertainment but that wouldn't stop her from complaining about it. "Seriously, what do you guys even do here for fun?"

"Oh!" Staple clapped his thick amphibious hands. "We sometimes play charades! And every month, the commander has us do some military drills. They're supposed to be serious but it's not like there's any difference."

The red toad glared at his partner. "Hey! I told you not to talk to the prisoner!"

"Oh come on, Wright. It's not like she's going to escape or anything."

"Yep, kinda stuck here with you guys." To emphasize, Anne rattled the chains shackled to her. "Also, charades? Really?"

"Charades can be fun." Wright crossed his big beefy toad arms. "Not like you'd understand that, being a monster and all."

"Hey! I came from civilization too! Where do you think these clothes came from?" Anne argued, pulling her shirt forward. Wright simply raised an eyebrow. "That's a shirt?"

Flabbergasted, Anne sprawled her body on the ground and groaned. "And here I thought getting stuck in an alternate universe was bad enough. Seriously, you guys need a hobby. I mean, what do you in your free time?"

Staple thought about it and shyly spun his foot, arms behind his back. "Well…" He blushed. "I like to take care of plants and flowers. My parents own a boutique, so it runs in the family."

"See, there you go! Now we're getting somewhere." Anne exclaimed with a finger gun. "And what about you, Mr Clean?"

"What did you call me?"

"Mr Clean. You know, because you don't have–" She motioned her hand just above her head. "You know what? Just ignore it. I forgot you guys don't have a TV here."

Wright was a bit confused but he nonetheless ignored her remark. "I often train in the arena. It's where all the dummies are. Other than that, I maintain my armour and weapon."

"Seriously? All you do is train? Man, it sounds like you're from some kind of military family or something."

The red toad laughed. "Ha, I wish! I'm actually from a family of carpenters; a long line of carpenters. I would've become the seventh generation too if I didn't… come here."

His partner gasped. "Wright, you never told me that!"

"It was none of your business." He hissed.

Anne nodded. "So why change? That doesn't sound so bad."

Wright groaned heavily. "Urgh, you have no idea how much I hated being there! All-day, I fix furniture, make tools and cut planks. Every. Single. Day. IT WAS DRIVING ME MAD!" A sigh escaped his lungs. "That kind of life just wasn't for me. I wanted some action! I wanted to do something better for the valley! So I joined Toad Tower."

From his side, he heard a long drawn awe. His eyes shifted towards the one person there; his partner. "Wow, Wright! That's so cool!"

"Heh, it is pretty cool." He huffed, puffing his chest up a bit in pride. Anne wasn't very good at reading people but she can tell when someone has an ego. So she rolled her eyes in response, bemused.

"So we know what's up with Mr Clean. What about you, uh…"

"The name's Staple!"

She snapped her fingers and pointed. "Right, Staple! I knew that. What's your story?"

Giddily, he responded. "My parents are both florists and so was my sister. We were really close too but then, she joined Toad Tower. So I followed after her."

"Aww, that's so sweet." Anne praised. "Where is she now?"

"Oh, she's dead."

Anne, with the atmosphere suddenly turning awkward, breathed in sharply. "Aww… Sorry about that…"

Feeling some sort of misunderstanding, he quickly took back his statement. "Oh no, no, no, that's not what I meant. I mean she's dead to me. She's still alive and in Toad Tower. We just don't talk anymore."

"Well, I'm an only child so, cool…?" Anne replied, feeling somewhat iffy with her choice of words. Staple simply shrugged and continued. "I mean, when I first came here, I realized she changed a lot. So we had a few fights and we're not that close like we used to be."

"Then why don't you leave? You said it yourself, dude. You only came here to be with your sister." Anne asked, causing Wright to laugh. "'CAUSE HE'S A COWARD! HAHAHA!"

Staple shrunk back from his partner's tease, fiddling his stubby fingers. Anne, in a fit of anger, retaliated. "Hey, man! Don't call him things like that!" She said, walking towards Wright, the bars separating the two.

"No no, he's right. I am a coward." Staple said before Wright could argue back. "You're only allowed to leave Toad Tower if you can, well, leave Toad Tower."

Raising an eyebrow, she asked. "What does that mean?" Wright scoffed at her question, one that Anne ignored.

"Toad Tower is located at the edge of the valley. Our job has been to protect the valley from outside threats." Wright exclaimed, reiterating some previous points, before continuing. "That also means we're the closest to said threats. Joining is easy; just hitch a ride with one of the tax collectors on their way here. But if you want to leave..."

He pointed at Anne's solitary window. "You have to be able to walk through the forest and live."

Anne didn't need to look out the window to know what he meant. During her stay here, she'd been stuck in the same jail cell from the start. The window was her only glimpse of the outside world and from the looks of it, it was not kind to anyone, human and toad alike. Poisonous bugs the size of bears and carnivorous birds the size of buildings, all surrounded by thick woods and dark skies that hide even their own shadows.

Her throat felt tight.

"So you're stuck here?" Anne asked, her hands on the cell bars as she turned to Staple who continued to fiddle with his fingers. He quietly nodded in response. "I-It's not like they're treating me badly here. Just that they won't let me ride with the tax collectors. And I can't join them either, because leaving is the same as leaving my post and I'll get punished for it!"

"T-that sounds like slavery!" Anne exclaimed in horror. Was that the case for other toads here too? She only knew these two plus Grime but the battle-scarred toad definitely stayed on purpose. How many of them didn't want to be here?

Wright's eyes bulged by her accusation and growled. "It ain't slavery, prisoner! We all have wages, work benefits and even vacation periods!" He gritted his teeth. "Besides, he should've picked a different job then. Being a soldier at Toad Tower is a lifelong commitment. Coming here just to stay with family was a stupid reason!"

Anne was seething in anger at the red toad, her grip tightening. Hearing him slander his partner like that, even if it wasn't a very smart decision, just made her blood boil. Instead of barking like a rabid animal however, she instead turned to Staple who was slowly shrinking with each statement.

"Are you really going to let him talk to you like?!" Anne called out at Staple, just barely keeping her anger in check. She just couldn't stand seeing people be pushed around like that. Staple flinched but stood quietly.

Wright turned to his partner and scoffed. He didn't have to say anything but everyone knew what he meant. Both him and Anne shared the same feeling that moment, even though the reason was different; disappointment. The human teen decided to not push any further and went back to her hay sack. Wright as well leaned back, not even facing his partner. Staple only sighed and continued his post.

Unbeknownst to all three of them, two metal bars were left slightly dented.

Poke.

Anne felt something touch her thigh. It was light and perfectly harmless but it was enough to momentarily wake her up from her slumber. She, however, ignored it, not caring enough to check.

Poke.

Another one, just moments later. The exact same thigh, the exact same force. She was not yet fully awake but her consciousness was slowly returning. With a frown and a grumble, she turned herself the other way, a meagre attempt in going back to sleep.

Poke.

This time, it was her back. Whatever the blunt object was, it dug itself into her spine, albeit gently. Still, it was enough to annoy her to wake up. All she wanted was to sleep and she couldn't even have that?

"Urgh, what?!" Anne groaned, louder than expected. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at Staple in front of her, holding a broom.

He poked her face.

"Ow! What the heck, dude?!" Anne said, rubbing her nose. The toad recoiled and pulled back the broom. "Sorry, sorry! Just wanted to make sure."

"And uh... The commander wants to meet you, so..." Behind him, Wright grinned as he wiggled some shackles.

A few minutes later by the front gate, Toad Commander Grime was yelling at a line of younger toads, one of which was wearing his breastplate as pants. "You all are by far THE MOST USELESS GROUP OF TOADS I HAD EVER SEEN!"

He pointed at a yellowish female toad with braids, standing at the side. "You can't shoot straight a single arrow even if your mother's life depends on it!"

"And you," he shouted, pointing at a different toad, this one pudgier. "won't even win a race against a snail!"

He then walked in front of the breastplate-pants toad, the latter currently fragile like glass. "As for you..." Grime stared at the toad, looking up and down his entire body. "I don't even want to talk about you."

The breastplate-plate toad cried.

Anne walked into the courtyard, her arms in shackles. The place was filled with more toads than she had ever seen, all of them short but tough-looking. Some were training with crossbows and shooting targets, while others were sparring with one another using weapons likes swords and axes. The courtyard also had an unusual amount of barrels and crates, which Anne assumed to be supplies recently delivered here.

While being led by the two guards, the others nearby all gasped and froze. They stared at her, wondering who and what she was, scared of her and what she could do. She was by far the ugliest creature they had ever seen. All lanky and weird. She was like a tree but made of bones and tissue, not wood. She even had a bird's nest on her head.

It didn't take long for them to reach Grime. Once there, Staple began to stutter. "U-uh, C-c-commander Grime, sir?"

"WHAT?!" Grime yelled angrily, causing the young toad to squeeze himself tight in fear. Grime looked at Staple and sighed, having unintentionally scolded someone who was only doing their job. He may be harsh but he was a man of brutal efficiency and effectiveness. Getting mad at someone who did their duty had a negative effect.

"Hah... What is it, private?" Grime asked, lowering his voice slightly. Staple, still shaken, immediately moved to the side. His partner Wright pushed Anne forward, front and centre of Grime's attention.

The battle-scarred toad glared at the teen. "I see..." With a wave of his hand, Wright and Staple hurriedly marched to the side, standing as straight as possible.

"Good morning, Anne. Did you have a good breakfast?" Grime asked with a fake kindness that even she could see. Anne scoffed, "Didn't have any."

"Really, now? How about this, then? You tell me where your companions are and I'll treat with whatever meal you wish. How about that?"

Anne thought about it through and smiled. "Well, I want pizza!"

The battle-scarred toad blinked. Pizza? Never once had he heard of such a meal and he could confidently say that he knew many different foods. "Might I ask what this 'pizza' is?"

"Nope." She replied, popping the 'p'. "You're gonna have to figure it out yourself. Oh, and if the pizza is bad, I ain't talking!" She added, smirking the whole way.

Grime's expression, initially with a look of disbelief, quickly soured. He forcefully grabbed Anne's collar and pulled her down to eye level. The teen momentarily lost her balance and at such an awkward position, struggled to stay upright.

"Listen here, beast. I've kept you here for almost a month and you have been nothing but a waste of my resources. The only reason you live is the information that you carry, so you will tell me where your companions are. Or else, there will be dire consequences."

Anne felt the fear creep up her shoulders and yet, she persevered. With a glare, she growled back. "I. Don't. Know. I didn't know the first time you asked, nor the second and third times, and I still don't know now!"

Every time the two met, Anne would always say the same thing; she doesn't know. And each time, it infuriates him even more. This time was no different but it was, unfortunately to her, the last straw on Grime's back. "If you don't know anything, then YOU ARE USELESS TO ME!"

He turned to the two guards, both of which immediately straightened themselves, and pointed at Staple, surprising him. "You there!"

"U-uh y-y-yes, sir?!"

"Escort our guest to the middle of the forest, shackled! She has played with my patience for far too long!" Glaring at Anne straight in the eyes, he snarled. "Let this be your final lesson."

It didn't even take a second for Anne to understand what he meant. This was her death sentence.

"W-w-wait! You can't do this! I really don't know!" Anne screamed frantically. She tried to run away but was promptly held down by the toads nearby. She struggled but it was all in vain. "I DON'T KNOW!"

"And I don't care anymore! Take her away!" He hissed, not even bothering to look at her. A commander's orders are absolute and Anne was a terrifying unknown; no toad would help her. Once an order is declared, it must be carried out no matter what. Despite the hesitation, the toads still restrained her. They grabbed her arms, legs and body, and pulled her to the door.

This was how she would die. In an unknown world, surrounded by giant humanoid toad soldiers, being hoisted and about to be thrown out into the deadly wilderness as monster chow, and she still never got to find out her friends' whereabouts. Here she was, about to be slaughtered like a whelp.

She refused.

"Ngg…! NO!" Anne shouted, standing her ground with a stomp of her foot. The hard stone floor beneath her cracked under the force, sending several of her assailants stumbling back. Grime, who was content with throwing her out, turned and stared at her in shock. Such strength in such a lanky body? Only one thing could explain this…

"Magic…" He whispered to himself. This changed everything. He turned to the toads she threw off and yelled, "Well, what are you lot waiting for?! Restrain her!"

Hesitantly and one by one, the toads converged on Anne and attempted in stopping her. Such strength was new to her and in the moment of desperation, there was no way to fully control it. In fact, she hadn't even realized it yet. She might have thrown them off a bit but slowly and steadily, they were able to dogpile the human teen.

"RGGH!" Anne grunted, trying to free herself. Roughly ten toads in full or partial armour were currently laid on her in a dogpile and whatever powers she had, she couldn't call it once more.

Grime felt his heart beating quickly, surprised and nervous of the ordeal. He wasn't skilled in the fields of magic but he knew it when he saw one. But this was unlike any magic he had ever seen himself. With Anne restrained, however, he sighed in relief.

"C-COMMANDER!" Hearing that, another sigh escaped him. He looked upwards, just above the walls of Toad Tower. There, a single toad was waving their arms in panic. "WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"

"Just say it!" Grime loudly yelled back.

"B-BUILLOTINE ANTS!"

Immediately upon hearing the name, Grime's eyes widened. Turning back, he barked at the toads nearby. "All soldiers to defensive positions! GO, GO, GO!"

Immediately, the site went into chaos. Toads all around ran into positions, grabbing spears and crossbows, and frantically wearing armour as fast as they could. Grime continued barking orders and sooner or later, Anne felt the weight on her slowly lessen.

The teen groaned in pain. Sure, nothing happened to her but she was still pinned down by ten or so battle-ready toads. She was glad she was even able to breathe back then. Just as she tried to stand up, her arms still restrained by iron shackles, she felt a small rumbling underneath her feet.

"U-uh, what's going on?!" Anne asked though everyone was too busy to answer. The moment that toad soldier shouted something about ants, it sent everyone on a frenzy. They had all forgotten about her and probably even didn't notice the shaking she felt. The ground continued to rumble and shake but after a moment or so, it stopped.

Just for a moment.

"W-waaAAHH!" Anne screamed as her lanky human body was suddenly sent flying backwards along with rubble and dirt. Dust filled the air aggressively and as it quickly dissipated, a pair of large mandibles appeared, sticking out of the ground and with it, a giant crimson ant crawled its way to the surface.

"Holy guacamole…!" Anne gasped, watching the ant burst completely out of the newly-dug hole. The ant was easily the size of a car but alive and scary. Its antennas twitched at every movement while its mandibles clamped open and closed like a pair of large scissors.

Grime, who was preoccupied with the ensuing chaos, turned to see the ant as it crawled its way to Anne, the latter of which paralyzed in fear. Wordlessly, he grabbed an iron war-axe and with his mighty toad legs, jumped high above the insect and slammed it into its thorax. The axe buried deep through the hard exoskeleton, causing the ant to rile up in anguish.

Grime held onto his axe as the ant continued its frenzy, neither unable to remove the weapon. Realizing this, the toad jumped off of the ant and landed directly next to the scared Anne, leaving his axe embedded. The ant turned towards the duo and glared, its mandibles twitching in rage.

The ant screeched loudly, causing harm to Grime's earlobes. While stunned, the ant charged madly at him, taking him by surprise.

"Look out!" shouted Anne, jumping towards the scarred toad and pushing both of them out of the way. In its charge, the ant crashed into a few barrels, breaking them open and covered in a clear slippery liquid, some of which even splashing on her hand. The ant screeched in frantic, running away from the two.

"Oh, yuck!" Anne exclaimed in disgust, shaking her arm to remove the stuff. Unable to completely remove it, she rubbed some between her fingers, feeling its slippery properties. "Wait, is this oil?"

While this was occurring, more holes started to pop up in the courtyard and from it, more and more giant ants poured out. Some toads fought them off as best as they could while others stayed on the walls, using their crossbows to support both inside and outside the castle. There were even ballistae lined up, killing off any ants with one hit. However, a sizeable portion had cowered in fear, panicking and running away.

Grime stood back up, groaning in pain. He still heard the ringing in his ears from that powerful noise, something that would have affected him more than others. Being a veteran, one could say his senses are heightened despite his age, including hearing. He should have seen the signs but instead, he was caught off-guard and suffered for it.

Toad Tower was being invaded and they were failing at countering it. The castle had stood from even before he was a part of it and he refused to let it fall during his time as Toad Commander. He looked around and saw many of his soldiers running in fear, losing their weapons in the process.

"FIGHT BACK, YOU COWARDS!" Grime shouted in anger. Despite his absolute orders, they continued to panic and scream. "YOU WORTHLESS EXCUSE OF SOLDIERS! YOU DARE CALL YOURSELVES TOADS?!"

He grabbed his head and groaned, the ringing still persistent. It was hard to think straight when his head was hurting. Before he could do anything else, however, he was pulled away but Anne's shackled hands.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Grime yelled at the teen, too surprised to react. Anne continued to pull him until they were behind a few crates and out of view. Grime pulled his arm away and hissed. "LET GO OF ME, YOU CREATURE!"

Despite flinching, she talked back. "Shut it, dude! I've got a plan but you have to trust me on this!"

"And why would I trust a creature like yourself? How will I know you won't help destroy Toad Tower?"

"Because if this place gets destroyed, I'll die anyway." She answered with determination.

Grime couldn't find an argument to that. She was right; if Toad Tower fell, she'd be stuck in-between who knows how many giant ants in the most dangerous location in the valley. To ensure her survival, she had to help the toads even though they tried to throw her out. There was no other choice.

The scarred toad growled. "Fine. I'll listen. Now, what would be this plan of yours?"

"Before I tell you, you got to promise me one thing."

Grime scoffed. "A promise with a beast? I'd rather die!"

"Then die. See if I care. You tried to kill me anyway!" Anne yelled back. "But I'm not going to die yet. Not here and not now. My friends are out there and I don't know where they are! That's the truth and until I find them, I'm will not get killed!"

The scarred toad stared at the lanky human girl, astounded by her little speech. It wasn't at all impressive or anything, and she just reiterated the points she told before. But at a high-stress situation like this, there was no gain in lying. The girl was telling the truth.

His heart calmed down, his face expressing nothing. "Fine. What's this promise then?"

"Help me find my friends and a way home. That's all I want." Anne declared. Grime nodded immediately after without hesitation. "I accept. Now tell me about your plan."

"We got to shake on it." Anne said, showing her hand. Though, it was followed by her other shackled one. Grim gave her a confused look.

"What?" He exclaimed.

"You know, a handshake." She shrugged. "To make things official."

Grime looked at her outstretched hand. It was weird, all brown, dry and naked like that. He had never seen anything like her before after all, despite his years of experience. He pulled out his own hand and grabbed hers firmly, adding a little shake.

"The name's Anne, by the way. Anne Boonchuy."

"And I am Grime. My last name is none of your business."

Anne nodded at the response. She was taken aback at how fast he accepted her terms but was internally glad. She turned to a nearby barrel, one that had been slightly leaking out the thick substance from before. "How much of that do you have here?" She asked, pointing at the same barrel.

Grime turned to what she pointed and immediately understood what she meant. He still didn't like the girl but nonetheless, he grinned.

"Enough."

"HYAHH! TAKE THAT, YOU WALKING TWIGS! I'VE DEALT WITH ENOUGH TERMITES TO KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH YOU!"

Meanwhile, Wright swung a halberd around, hitting and throwing the nearby ants around. Unlike the one Anne had dealt with, these were the size of dogs back on Earth but far more in terms of numbers. Sometimes he broke through their thick shells and killed them, other times he simply pushed them away. He preferred to have used an axe but this was all he had at the moment.

With him, Staple poked the converging ants with a spear, keeping them away from the two. He wasn't much of a fighter but that didn't stop him from trying. Then again, he was freaking out and scared to his wits. Though, there was no way he could run so long as Wright was fighting. They were partners after all.

"Wright, we're surrounded!" Staple screamed in his high-pitched voice, fearing for his life. Individually, the ants were easy to handle. But ants were rarely alone.

Wright moved back step by step, swinging his halberd around and keeping his distance. At the same time, Staple did the same, poking them as much as he could. A few more steps and the two bumped into one another, covering their backs. One of the ants even got cocky and swiped Wright's weapon, breaking it into two. Nonetheless, they continued with their actions, keeping the ants at bay.

"Staple?"

"Y-yeah, Wright?"

"You're a coward and probably the worst soldier in Toad Tower."

"I know…"

"But…" Wright deeply breathed in. "It's been an honour serving beside you. You're… you're a good toad."

"Wow…" Staple exclaimed, surprised by his words. "That's the nicest thing anyone ever said to me since I got here. Thanks, Wright!"

"Yeah, well it's the only one you'll get! If you tell anyone, I'll kill you. Ya hear?!"

Before the two could continue any further, a mysterious clear liquid fell from above, soaking the duo and the surrounding ants. They screeched in pain, running around in chaos. The dry ants all moved back and away from the soaked ones, avoiding them like a plague. The ones covered by it ran as far as they could, sending the other ants into a frenzy of its own. Some even became weaker, dropping dead after a while.

"Argh! What is this stuff?!" Wright yelled, rubbing as much as he could off of him. Beside him, Staple did the same as he panicked but stopped when a familiar sweet smell tingled his nostrils. He sniffed the liquid covering his form and a few seconds later, his eyes widened in realization.

"This is oil!" He blurted out, surprising his partner who then turned to him. "What?"

Nearby and on top of the walls, Anne had a bucket. From the barrel next to her, she scooped out more of the oil and threw it around the courtyard, splashing anyone in it. Many soldiers were left dumbfounded as they were suddenly covered by the stuff and even more so when the ants started avoiding them.

"Yeah, take that! Now take this! Yeet!" Anne cheered, throwing more and more of the oil around with the bucket. "That's what you get for following your natural instincts!"

Reaching out for more, she discovered that her barrel had emptied, leaving only a shallow amount at the bottom. She turned around and called out, "Yo, dude! I need resupplying here!"

"Get it yourself!" Grime growled. From the walls, he grabbed a whole barrel of the oil and with a grunt, threw it across the courtyard and onto one of the larger ants. The barrel exploded on impact, soaking all the ants nearby and causing them to writhe in pain. He jumped from the wall and onto the centre of the courtyard with a heavy thump.

He watched as all the ants fled back into their holes, followed by a small number of toads chasing after them. Despite all that, he did not smile.

"W-we did it! We won!" Staple cheered, still soaked in the oil. "I can't believe it! I- Hey, Wright? Why are you still holding onto your weapon?"

It did look like they had won. Even he believed it. But seeing Toad Commander Grime's expression, it did nothing to fill him with confidence. Wright gripped his broken top-half-of-a-halberd tighter.

"It's not over yet." He quietly said. Staple stared at him, bewildered.

Suddenly, the ground shook. This time, it wasn't just Anne that felt it but so did every other toad in the castle. Nervous, she quickly climbed down a ladder and ran towards Grime who, as per his namesake, held a grim expression.

"Did anyone else felt that or was it just me? Please tell me it was just me." Anne pleaded.

Grime's gaze sharpened. "Unfortunately, it's not."

From the litter of holes that strewed all over the courtyard, a massive cloud of dust and dirt erupted like an explosion. The winds were strong, pushing anyone who didn't hold their ground. Nearby equipment was thrown off into the distance, some embedding itself into the floor and walls while others broke on impact. Toad Tower's flagpole swayed back against the force, its flag fluttering aggressively.

And from the dust, a single shadow appeared. One with insectoid eyes.

Anne, having fallen on her butt, coughed harshly from the sudden burst of dust. Breathing heavily, she looked up with watery eyes and saw a gigantic ant, easily double or even triple the size of the one that attacked her. Its thorax or "chest" is roughly the same size as its already gigantic head and unlike the other ants, this one had a pair of long wings. What's worse is that about half of its body was still in its hole.

Anne might not know her insects that well but she was definitely sure this was a queen ant. The queen ant.

Her mouth was wide agape, her expression astonished and fearful. She finally understood what it was like to be the random bystander in a giant monster movie. And much like the random bystander, nobody knew nor cared what happened to them. So it didn't take much to understand why.

"There you are!" Anne turned to the voice and saw Grime, holding a war-axe in one hand and a small barrel of oil in the other, carrying with him a sadistic smile. With a puff of his chest, he crouched down and jumped straight towards the queen ant, throwing the oil barrel straight onto its head. He then followed it with a mighty blow of his axe, forcing it slightly back. It twitched and reeled in pain but just by moving its head slightly was enough to push Grime back.

The scarred toad skidded across the dirt, leaving a mark in his wake. He looked at the ant's head and saw the cut he placed; it was barely a scratch. Even the oil had little effect on its body. Growling, he continued with his assault, roaring out his war cry. The queen ant retaliated in kind, using her giant legs to attack. But despite the earlier blunder, Grime had fought against his own share of giant beasts. A queen ant is no different.

While the toad commander dodged any attack against him, Anne watched in awe from the distance. She turned around in search of other toads and instead, found herself staring at them cowering. "What are you guys doing?! I thought you were soldiers or something!"

"We are but…" A toad answered, hiding behind a box. "That thing is scary!"

"Yeah! I don't like fighting scary things!"

"I WANNA GO HOME!"

Anne couldn't believe herself. She was stuck in this forsaken place for weeks and only now did she found out it was guarded by these folks? How can they claim to be 'protectors of the valley' if they can't even fight some giant bugs? Didn't they practically grew up with them?!

For some reason, that really pissed her off. "You know what? I'M SCARED TOO! I got thrown into another universe, got jailed by you guys, threatened by what's possibly the second scariest person I've ever met and now, I'm surrounded by giant ants! I'm also super hungry and I miss my friends!"

"But that's not going to stop me from fighting back! Yeah, I'm scared but I'm even more scared of being lost in a wilderness where everything is trying to kill me!" She huffed and puffed, her face turning red. Grabbing a nearby spear, she marched forward to the queen ant, currently preoccupied with Grime.

Quietly, she muttered to herself. "But I'm just a beast, so what do I know?"

Swallowing her fear, Anne charged with her own war cry. It wasn't as powerful as Grime's but it did its job.

"YAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Strafe to the left, a hop to the right. Grime dodged the attacks aimed at him with skill and experience. However, after a few minutes, he was starting to feel tired and his muscles screamed to rest. Even one hit from the queen ant's legs could spell disaster to him and with his advanced age, he couldn't keep up as long as he used to. He wasn't old, mind you, but he was far from his prime. While he does try his best to keep up in shape, being a toad commander meant he'd spend most of his time in Toad Tower, doing paperwork and checking on his troops. The last major battle he was involved in was a few years back.

He didn't want to admit it but the chances of him winning this fight were slim.

Nonetheless, he was still about to put up a good fight. The ant's head and body were littered with cuts and scuff marks, some of which would scar it for life. But to his dismay, none had any significant impact on the queen ant's ability. The exoskeleton was simply too think and his axe was far too dull from being ill-maintained.

There was no telling how much longer he'd last.

All of a sudden, Anne the beast came rushing to the ant from its unprotected side and violently stabbed the area between the joints. She played video games a lot and one common weakness against bosses like these were always its joints. After all, you can't put armour over something that's always moving.

The queen screeched in pain and immediately turned to its side, watching Anne struggle to remove the spear lodged deep into its body. Anne looked up and stared at the queen ant's eyes. She could feel the intense glare it had on her.

"… Hehe, oops?" She laughed nervously. The queen ant, however, did not find it amusing and slammed one of its legs towards her.

"Aaah!" Anne yelped as she jumped away, missing by an inch. The queen ant lifted its leg once more to crush her but before it could, loud cries appeared from its other side.

Once more, the queen ant turned and to its surprise, an army of fully-armoured toads all came charging at it in-arms. All were giving out their best war cry, full of determination and the will to live.

"CHAAAARGGE!" Wright cried out upfront. His halberd was still broken, leaving him with a makeshift axe. Staple was by his side screaming, his spear intact.

The queen ant's antennas twitched aggressively. A moment ago, it was busy trying to squash a toad like a bug, irony notwithstanding. Then suddenly this lanky featherless bird stabbed it where it hurt and now, it's surrounded by a flood of mucus green and iron-grey.

The toads all attacked the queen ant as best as they could. Crossbowmen loaded up their weapons with bolts and aimed for the eyes, while spear-, sword- and axemen all slashed onto the ant's hard exterior. Some even climbed up the queen ant and struck its weak spots.

Meanwhile, while it was distracted, the toads on the walls were turning the ballistae towards the courtyard as fast as they could, now that the outside was ant-free. After setting it up again, the toads moved the ballistae downwards, targeting its main body.

"Take aim… and FIRE!" One of the toads shouted, signalling the ballistae with a wave of his sword. One by one, the large arrows shot out from the walls, hitting the queen ant. Some scratched the hard exoskeleton with a deep gash, others got a direct hit and pierced through. If ants could feel the fear and pain of defeat, this one was definitely feeling it.

The queen ant was done playing.

With a heavy and loud roar, it shook off all the toads that climbed onto its body and any nearby. They all clasped their earholes shut, paralysed by such a powerful sound. With the exception of the ant queen itself, everyone was left disoriented and with their guards down. The queen ant quickly searched the battlefield, looking for the one toad that the others had followed.

It didn't take long for it to find Grime, holding his head in discomfort. Without any hesitation, it dived its head towards the toad commander, ready to either eat him whole or crush his bones into dust.

Anne, who quickly recovered from the shock, jumped straight into its way. "NOOOOO!" She shouted.

BOOOOKKKSSSHHHH

Stone, earth and gravel spewed out of the impact zone, engulfing the area with thick opaque dust. The toads stared in horror, having watched their esteemed commander kick the bucket. Their knees grew weak and trembled in despair. Despite the sudden burst of courage early on, this was the end for them.

At least, if that was in any other story.

With a powerful burst, the dust cleared immediately and in it remained a small crater with Anne at the centre. The human teen was holding back the queen ant's monstrous mandibles with her own two bare hands in an incredible show of brawn. Her eyes glowed with an intense blue and unlike before, it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. The ground underneath her feet cracked and crumbled under the pressure, neither side was willing to give up.

"GGGRRHH!" Anne gritted her teeth, using all of her strength to hold the queen ant at bay. She wasn't sure how or where she got this strength but at the moment, she did not care nor notice. She had only one goal in mind and that was keeping Grime alive. Ironic since the toad did try to send her off to die.

Grime gawked in awe; his theory was right. This was the work of magic for sure and a very powerful one at that. But from the looks of it, Anne didn't know how to fully control it. This truly did change everything.

Anne fell on one knee. Still, she refused to cave in. "A-ARE YOU GOING TO DO SOMETHING OR WHAT?!"

Before Grime could answer, he heard a shout from the distance behind him. Turning around, he saw a toad soldier running at him with a barrel of oil.

"S-sir!" the toad soldier called out. He threw the barrel as hard as he could towards his superior officer, off by a few inches. Grime scrunched up his eyes and with a thrust, he jumped and grabbed the barrel in mid-air. As of the moment, Anne was keeping the queen ant steady and since she was holding the mandibles apart, that left one glaring weak spot open; the mouth.

With a toothy grin, Grime rushed forward once landed and stuffed the barrel into the queen ant's mouth. It pulled back in surprise, pushing Anne onto her back with a thud. The queen ant howled, thrashing everything around it. It was as if its insides were melting like butter. Toads all stepped back, avoiding the danger as best as they could.

After a minute of thrashing about, it suddenly stopped moving. There, its body stood tall but frozen. For the first time since the start of the ant invasion, Toad Tower was quiet.

"D-did we do it?" Staple asked out loud, waiting for anyone to answer 'yes'. Though, the silence continued. "I think we did it! Like, for real this time!"

"Hell yeah, we did it! We're the best!" Wright cheered, his weapon up high.

"YEEAAH, WE WON!"

"I DIDN'T DIE! THANK YOU, TOAD DEITIES!"

"Well someone definitely did 'cause there's an eyeball here and it don't belong to me."

"OH, THAT'S MINE! I'VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER FOR IT!"

Anne looked around and watched the toads celebrate with joy and pride. She breathed in and out slowly, the adrenaline still rushing through her veins. She looked at her hands, still shaken by the whole ordeal. She was traumatized but alive, and that was more than she could ever ask for.

Anne sighed in relief. "I… am so done with this."

Before she could stand up, the earth rumbled slightly. Her eyes shot open and turned up towards the queen ant who glowed slightly. It pulled its head further back before hurling it forward, snarling at the two figures by its base.

"I SAID I WAS DONE!" Anne screamed. The queen ant roared, startling the rest of the toads.

Grime frowned. He too was tired of this fight and would've preferred if it had ended just then. His mouth gurgled momentarily and a second later, the toad commander spat a glob of his saliva into the queen ant's mouth.

Suddenly feeling something in its throat, it recoiled in surprise and for a few seconds, nothing happened.

Those were short seconds.

The queen ant started to expand and before it could let out one final roar, its top half exploded into a shower of insect guts and pale yellow blood. It painted everyone in the courtyard with slime, the exception being Grime and Anne who were below the range. The rest of its body fell to the side, nothing to keep itself upright anymore.

"Disgusting." Grime remarked with a spit. It landed next to Anne's hand, melting through the crater floor. The teen couldn't help but flinch.

Anne stared at the giant corpse with bloodshot eyes. She felt her heart rate slow down and the effects of adrenaline disappear. This time, she was, without any doubt, sure the whole ordeal was over. She survived another day, against giant monstrous ants.

Though that did nothing to stop her from vomiting out her insides just after.

The main room was packed to the brim with every soldier of Toad Tower. Once the battle was truly over, the real celebration began. The room was brightly lit with chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings. On its long dining tables were rows upon rows of delicious amphibian delicacies by the army's skilled team of chefs. Everyone was having a swell time, either by gorging themselves with food or drinking to their hearts' content. At the far end of the room was a podium and on it, Toad Commander Grime and his closest and most trusted officer sat, eating alongside their valiant troops.

Oh, and Anne was there too, sitting right next to him.

Anne stared at the so-called delicacies, all of which were insectoid in nature. Her own plate had a bit of the queen ant's eye in it, courtesy of the chefs. Sure, it was better than the gruel they had served her during her imprisonment but still…

She scooped some of the deceased with a spoon and plunged it into her mouth. She tasted an explosion of flavour for sure, but not the kind she preferred. Her body instinctively shuddered in repulse. "Gguuugh…!"

Thankfully before she could take another spoonful, Grime stood from his chair and with a spoon, tapped his metal tankard. "Attention, every toad… I SAID 'ATTENTION'!"

The soldiers instantaneously turned towards him in sync. Grime blinked at the sudden change of atmosphere. "Okay… Uh-hum, as you all had just experienced, Toad Tower was under attack by a colony of buillotine ants. We have sustained heavy damages and have lost many of our fellow compatriots. Nonetheless, the battle ended with our VICTORY!"

The whole room cheered and applauded. "Tomorrow, we will begin repairs of our citadel, along with some extra modifications so that we won't be taken off-guard next time. But tonight, we shall dine like it is the end of the world because we just survived through one!"

"Before you continue, I wish to introduce Anne, whose assistance had been integral to our success. From now on, she is part of Toad Tower!"

The room exploded with applause, just as loud as before. Among the soldiers below, Staple clapped his stubby hands zealously, calling out her name. Wright sat at the other side of the table, clapping as well albeit slower but no less happy.

"WOOOOOOO! GO, ANNE!" Staple cried, though his voice was drowned by the numerous others around him. He then leaned towards Wright and whispered, "She has a weird name."

"Heh, true."

"So now, you toads. EAT! EAT AND CELEBRATE!" Grime exclaimed, ending his speech. Everyone resumed their festivities, merrier than ever. The scarred toad, however, took himself a breather.

Hearing all those toads cheer out her name, Anne couldn't help but blush. It reminded her of her time back home, where she would get involved in numerous sports and extracurricular activities. Not to brag or anything but Anne was quite proud of her physical abilities. Though, her schoolmates tend to disagree.

Despite all that skill, she didn't really have much to show for it. Some clubs even banned her from joining because she 'wasn't a team player' or something like that. Well, she didn't care. Sasha and Marcy acknowledged her and that was all that mattered. So what if she didn't do well with others?

Anne pushed her plate forward, not really have the appetite. She honestly preferred the gruel now. At least then she couldn't see what it was made of. "So, you're gonna help me search for my friends?"

"After the repairs are done, I'll provide a reasonable taskforce for the hunt. But don't expect too much; the valley is not a small place. It could take weeks, even months. And my toads are stretched thin as it is, especially after today's debacle."

"No, no, take your time! I mean, I know what it's like to be low on manpower." Anne replied, reminiscing at her time when she worked at her parents' restaurant. There were days where someone couldn't come to work and that meant Anne had to pick up the slack. Of course, her BFFs were there to provide moral support.

"You know, you're surprising chill about this. I mean, you did call me a beast for two weeks straight."

Grime drank from his tankard and placed it gently on the table. He then wiped away and leftover wine with his hand. "Do not assume my respectful behaviour with 'friendship'. You are still a beast in my eyes. I simply allow you to live because you have been an asset. Nothing more."

"Heh, I didn't say anything about 'friendship'." Anne grinned with a pompous smile. She could hear the toad commander growl, even with his mouth full of food.

At the very least, Anne managed to secure herself a safe haven. And in another universe like this, that was more than enough. A part of her still longed for her friends but for now, she'd celebrate her first victory here.

A team effort at that.