Day 6 Part 2

Groaning in annoyance and sleepiness, I trudge after Isadora, her back a constant view in front of me. A click of my tongue and I mutter, "What a pain in the ass." Then my thoughts turn towards our missing companion. "Fucking V, where the hell are you when I need you?"

Isadora slashes another frog, and another, and another. I can't help but snicker at the sight. In my mind, I picture myself giving Isadora a little push, sending her flying into the open mouth of a frog. But I click my tongue again, shaking my head at the ridiculousness of it. Even in my sleep-deprived state, I know that won't work. The bully can't be beaten so easily.

How many frogs have died to her blade now? Ten? Twenty? Fifty? Stupid frogs, if they had any sense they would work together, or better yet, let me in on the plan. I could definitely come up with something much more... entertaining.

"Ugh, I'm so tired," I groan, rubbing my eyes. It's getting harder and harder to keep them open, and I just know I'm going to regret all this when I look in the mirror. Dark circles are not a good look on anyone, and I've probably got them in spades right now. "I knew it, I should've never come here. Now my precious sleep is gone..."

Isadora continues to chop down the amphibian horde, her blade a flurry of motion. I can't help but roll my eyes at her. She's such a try-hard, it's almost pitiful. I, on the other hand, am the picture of elegance and grace, despite the circumstances.

"Oh, look at you, Ms. I'm-so-brave-and-heroic. Can you cut the crap and just take a nap?" I tease, snickering at my own joke. But then I quickly add, "On second thought, don't. I don't want to see you drooling in your sleep."

I stifle a yawn, rubbing my tired eyes. This is just ridiculous. How many more frogs are there? And why are they even here? Did they piss off a witch or something? Was she bored and just decided to create an army of oversized, slimy pests?

I grumble to myself, glaring at Isadora's back. "You better be grateful, you know. I'm sacrificing my beauty sleep for this shit."

With a wicked grin, I turn my gaze to the frog army. I feel a sudden surge of inspiration and raise my voice, "Hey, frogs! Remember, united we stand, divided we fall! And trust me, I've seen how she falls. It's not pretty."

A smirk plays on my lips as I cross my arms over my chest, watching the chaos unfold. Who knew that frogs could be so entertaining? As long as they keep their distance from me, of course.

"This is just like that quote, isn't it?" I mumble to myself, a sudden thought crossing my mind. "'Sleep is the best meditation.' Well, fuck you...I don't remember the name of that person, but fuck you regardless. You clearly haven't had to deal with sword-crazy companions and a frog army."

I stifle another yawn, clicking my tongue in annoyance. How long until I can sleep again? How long until I can escape this nightmare?

Turning my gaze back to Isadora, I watch as she continues to fight, her face void of any emotion. "Tsk, and they call me heartless," I say, shaking my head. Then, with a devilish grin, I lean back, resting my hands behind my head. "Enjoy your frog slaying, Hero. I'll be here, dreaming of a world where sleep is respected and frogs stay in their damn ponds."

I click my tongue one more time, just for good measure. Because, really, how else am I supposed to express my disdain for this situation?

"Just you wait, Isadora," I whisper, a glint in my eye. "You've not seen the last of my mischief. And as for you, frogs, just you wait. I have a plan that involves you, and it's not going to end well... for you."

Ah, it's good to be wicked. And tired. And wickedly tired. Now, if only someone would just let me sleep.

Isadora is still slashing away like a possessed woodcutter, oblivious to the grand plan unfolding. The sight of her, lost in her one-woman crusade against the frog nation, stirs something within me. It's not respect, far from it. No, it's more of... amusement.

"Would it kill you to say something, anything?!" I yell out, my voice echoing through the vast room, bouncing off the stone walls and back to me. Isadora doesn't flinch, her attention fully on the grossly oversized frog before her. "The audacity of this bitch..." I mumble, flicking the broken arrow between my fingers.

With a grumble, I push myself off the wet cold stone floor, shooting a quick, cursory glance at my surroundings. Big room, lots of frogs. And Isadora. I stifle a chuckle at the sight. She looks so serious, her brows furrowed, her lips pursed in concentration. It's kind of cute, in a pathetic, overly dramatic sort of way. you're not in a novel for crying out loud, stop trying so hard.

"Damn, if only I had a popcorn. This would be the perfect entertainment," I say to myself, letting out a sigh. Oh, the lengths I go to for entertainment.

I saunter over to the nearest pillar, the worn-out runes on its surface barely visible. "You've seen better days, haven't you?" I whisper, tracing the faint lines with the tip of my broken arrow. The pillar doesn't respond, obviously. I mean, it's a pillar. What did I expect?

A mischievous grin creeps onto my face as I carve two new runes into the pillar. The first one, a well-known rune among adventurers, is designed to attract frogs. The second one, well, let's just say it's more of an experimental one. I'm not entirely sure what will happen once it's activated. But I'm quite excited to find out.

With a satisfied nod, I step back, admiring my handiwork. Then, with a sly look towards Isadora, I activate the runes. The pillar hums with a strange energy, the runes glowing a faint green. Then, as quickly as it started, the humming stops, and the pillar returns to its inert state.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," I mutter, feeling a pang of disappointment. I was expecting a more dramatic reaction. Maybe some sparks or smoke? But nothing. I huff, shooting a glare at the pillar. It's just a stupid pillar after all.

Then, from the corner of my eye, I notice something. The frogs, they're moving, but not towards Isadora. No, they're moving towards the pillar. And not just a few of them. All of them.

I can't help but laugh at the sight, the sound echoing through the room. Isadora turns, her eyes wide with surprise and, is that anger? "What's so funny?" she asks, her voice barely audible over the chorus of croaking frogs. But I don't answer, I'm too busy laughing my ass off.

"Oh, Isadora, dear," I manage to gasp out between fits of laughter, "you really need to lighten up. Don't take life so seriously. It's not like you're going to get out alive."

Isadora just stares, her mouth hanging open. Her sword dangles loosely from her hand, her face drained of color.

"Hey, remember the saying 'united we stand, divided we fall'? Well, enjoy your division!" I say, pointing at the mass of frogs now congregating around the pillar. "Looks like you're about to get a lot closer with our amphibian friends."

Chuckling to myself, I stroll back to my corner, leaving Isadora to deal with her new admirers. I settle down, the cool stone beneath me a welcome relief from the constant chaos.

"Ah, sleep. The cousin of death. Can't wait to meet you," I murmur, letting my eyes fall shut. It's only a matter of time before Isadora breaks down and begs for my help. And when she does, maybe, just maybe, I'll help her out.

I yawn, my eyes lazily watching the carnage as Isadora single-handedly slaughters the frog army. It's like watching a train wreck – you can't look away no matter how horrifying the scene is. I click my tongue in distaste. Disgusting.

Leaning back against the rune-carved pillar, I hug it as if it were a replacement for my plush pillow that's unfortunately miles away, in the safety of my dorm room at the damn academy. How I yearn for its soft, comforting embrace. I wish I was there, snuggled up in my blankets, away from this frog-filled nightmare.

"Damn you, Ayla," I mutter under my breath. I could be sleeping right now. I could be dreaming of a world where I'm not surrounded by amphibian guts and an annoyingly persistent classmate. But no, she just had to keep me in the academy.

A tired laugh escapes my lips, the absurdity of the situation finally hitting me. Here I am, stuck in the middle of nowhere, watching my annoying companion duke it out with an army of oversized frogs.

"Go on, Isadora," I yawn, hugging the pillar tighter. "Show them who's boss."

I watch as she cuts through another wave of frogs, each slash of her sword sending guts flying in every direction. Honestly, it's impressive, in a grotesque sort of way. But even she has to get tired eventually, right?

A smile tugs at my lips as I close my eyes, the rhythmic sounds of the battle lulling me to sleep. But just as I'm about to drift off, I feel something wet and slimy hit my face.

"Iiik!" I squeal, jumping to my feet. Wiping the slime off my face, I realize it's a frog head. A decapitated frog head.

I look up just in time to see Isadora, a determined look on her face, decimate another frog. I can't help but admire her tenacity, even if it's completely misguided.

But then, to my horror, she turns towards the pillar. With a loud grunt, she smashes her fist into the runes, the force of the impact causing the pillar to crumble.

"What the hell, Isadora?!" I yell, but she's already collapsing onto the ruins of the pillar, her sword clattering to the ground.

Approaching her cautiously, I prod her with my foot. "Hey, wake up," I say, but she doesn't respond.

"Seriously?" I say, rolling my eyes. With a grin, I plop down beside her, enjoying the rare moment of peace.

"You know, you could use some improvement," I say, speaking to the unconscious Isadora. "Your form is sloppy, your footwork's all over the place, and don't even get me started on your lack of strategy. Charging in without a plan? That's just reckless. You're an I-D-I-O-T, a very S-T-U-P-I-D Idiot, hehehe, you're so lazy."

A soft snore is my only response, and I can't help but chuckle.

"You're lucky you're cute, Isadora," I say, ruffling her hair. "Or else I would've left you here with the frogs. I can't stand you, but If I leave you here I'm sure V wouldn't cook for me anymore so you're lucky."

With that, I lean back against the ruins of the pillar, closing my eyes. The sounds of croaking frogs and dripping water are my lullaby as I drift off to sleep, the ghost of a smile on my lips.

"Goodnight, Isadora. Sweet dreams of your froggy friends," I murmur, my last thought before sleep overtakes me is a simple, "The early bird can have the worm, because worms are gross and mornings are stupid."

And with that, I surrender to the sweet embrace of sleep. At least until the next disaster strikes. But until then, I'm going to enjoy my well-earned rest. After all, as someone once said, 'Sleep is for the strong, not the weak'. Not that they'd ever faced an army of frogs.