Chapter 22 - Return

Returning to Lady and the herd of Iron Salamanders with a Toad and Frog escort in tow was not what she had in mind when they set out towards the poisonous bog. 

However, they agreed the fruits would be secured and escorted back alongside the Frog's minions. 

It also allowed them to get the other Salamanders used to the newly formed allegiance. Tara had no idea how long it would even last. 

According to Claw, magical beasts rarely work together like this.

It was somewhat sporadic for wildly conflicting species such as Iron Salamanders and the Frog and Toad duo to even process working together. 

Magical Beasts' lives revolved around constant conflict with the thought of compromise fleeting. 

Setting up an alliance like this never happens because Magical Beasts have trouble deciding over conceding any dominance to another. 

For instance, the Pikeake are considered the dominant species in this region. Yet, none of the magical beasts subservient to them have ever considered allying together because they are roughly equal in strength with no dominant alpha among them. 

Or it was before the Pikeake attack on the Iron Salamanders, which weakened them considerably. 

The Frogs and Toads were also far more powerful than anticipated and were stronger than the Iron Salamanders.

Yet the Toad Queen offered a partnership of equals, which was strange since Magical Beasts never usually concede to other species, even on equal terms.

It created the dilemma of who would take the lead if the Sphyrna Pikeake was dealt with since each region in the Swamp was ruled by a Magical Beast King. 

Claw mentioned that the Sphyrna Pikeake was the weakest. 

However, this may be due to change if the Sphyrna Pikeake advanced to the Seventh stage of Qi gathering as expected. 

Either way, they had to hurriedly go ahead of the group and inform the more over-eager, battle-hungry Iron Salamanders that the Toads and Frogs are neither enemies nor a quick meal. 

It seemed hardly any Iron Salamanders here had even met the Frogs and Toads since most Iron Salamanders in the herd are hatchlings, and the Toads and Frogs rarely ever left the poisonous bog. 

Therefore, to Iron Salamanders, who viewed everything as a meal, they resembled a tasty exotic treat. 

Tara was glad they could discourage the suicidal Iron Salamanders before they did anything foolish. She may have been able to consume and handle the Toads and Frogs' insane toxicity, but any other young Iron Salamanders would likely face severe consequences. 

Ignoring the pleading gazes that resembled puppy dog eyes from the murderous Iron Salamanders, she had to dissuade them repeatedly from attacking the Toads and Frogs.

It seemed the Salamanders struggled to identify another species as anything but food.

The accusatory looks she was getting from the Iron Salamanders suggested she was greedy in keeping them to herself.

And though it could be considered partly true since she has consumed far more of these Toads and Frogs than she would care to admit, Tara wanted to protest her innocence that this was not her intention. 

At times like these, she wished her contemporaries all shared the intelligence of Claw and Lady.

At first, it was amusing when the first Iron Salamander was badgering her mind with 'Food. Tasty?' as it stared and pointed at the Frogs and Toads, but when large groups of them bombarded her with the same messages, it quickly grew bothersome. 

Fortunately, Claw was alongside her, so directing the Iron Salalanders away from the Frogs and Toads became far more manageable when one of their Elders instructed them to do so. 

Eventually, they arrived back at the Iron Salamander's primary den. 

Lady was already making her way towards them even before they went towards the cave that held the Spiritual Plant. 

At first, Tara figured it would take a while for the Elder Salamander to grasp the sudden allegiance when it was clear that the target when they had set off to the Poisonous Bog was now their sudden ally. 

She has underestimated Lady, however, as the Elder Salamander was able to catch on almost instantly. 

'So I understand this is a token of goodwill from your Queen to show her true intentions?' Lady asked as she conversed with the more intelligent Frog in the escort.

Neither the Toad King nor the Frog Queen accompanied them, but a weaker Sixth-stage Qi Gathering Frog went with them. 

It was a smart move from the Frog Queen, who was the brains of the two. The Frogs seemed more intelligent than the Toads, though she found the Toads were bulkier and packed a more vicious toxin. 

Either way, the Frog Queen demonstrated that it was not limited to her and the Toad King, as they had more Sixth Stage Qi Gathering Frogs and Toads around. 

Tara knew the Frog Queen was intentionally demonstrating their superiority, which was already the start of a power play. 

She knew it appeared that the Frogs and Toads did not need them at all, and alone, they could match the Pikeake, yet she was sure that the fruits they provided them were to secure their partnership for good. After all, judging by the frogs' and toads' reactions, the fruits usually seemed helpful only for poisonous magical beasts. 

Therefore, securing a partnership with the fruits would be difficult for the Frogs and Toads, whose options were limited. 

The Frog Queen knew they would take a lot of damage if they went by themselves to attack the Pikeake head-on and needed the Salamanders more than they would like to admit.

Tara believed the Toad would have charged in already, but the Frog Queen was far more astute. She knew the victor between the Frogs, Toads, and the Pikeake would be significantly weakened regardless of the outcome.

The Frog Queen didn't want to beat the Pikeake only for opportunists to take advantage of their weakened state. 

According to Claw, the Pikeake guarded the most valuable spiritual plant in the region, and many subordinates guarded it. The Pikeake did not attack the Salamanders with all their strength; they would have all their fighting force at their den. 

The spiritual plant filled every Magical Beast in this region with greed, yet none dared to fight for it, as the Sphyrna Pikeake was genuinely the strongest.

Lady found the Qi Gathering Sixth Frog Wrangler nodding in agreement, its eye filled with cunning and intelligence, 'Of course. We ask nothing in return to taste our glorious fruits. Just your company for when the time comes to sort out a troublesome enemy that has been on top for too long.'

Lady did not waste much time after that. She proceeded to thank and assure the Toads and Frogs, and when the Qi Gathering Sixth Frog Wrangler seemed pleased with the exchange, they left as quickly as they arrived, much to the displeasure of a few Iron Salamanders who were hoping things would go wrong so they could have another feast. 

On the other hand, Tara was just pleased they had left, not realising at all that Lady's eyes had lit up in understanding. 

'So that's how it is. A King of another region is making a play for this one. Of course, it's against the agreement, but if it's another, a subject of its perhaps and not itself…' Lady was mumbling, sharing her musings with her and Claw.

Tara just stood there stupidly, not knowing what was going on. Claw, however, understood straight away after receiving a hint from Lady. 

'Now that all makes sense. I can see why the Big Fish was intimidated by finding those two instead of just one big dumb frog.' Claw voiced back, showing his approval.

Tara knew the two had involved her out of respect, yet she lacked background information. 

'What do you mean by another King?' Tara asked questionably.

Lady looked back at her with confusion and then understanding as she said, 'Sometimes I forget your ignorance. There are five known kings, with five separate regions similar to this one and many different species. These Kings kept each other in check; none wanted a rival to hold more than one section of the five regions, and this region would not have much value to some of the more powerful Kings. The Magical Beast kings are driven to improve themselves, and this region does not have the resources to push a beast further past the Sixth Qi Gathering Stage.'

'Then why would another Beast King even care about this region if it presumably held a stronger territory?' Tara asked curiously.

Lady paused momentarily as if in consideration, then replied, 'Well, usually that would be true. However, a Beast King, considered the second-strongest in the swamp, is a terrifying Goliath Frog at the peak of a Ninth of Qi gathering for a long time. It is gigantic and absurdly poisonous, yet the strongest Beast King is even more terrifying and is a Dracrocodile with Dragon Blood. It is a beast mutated to the extreme from the influence of a Flood Dragon that roamed here long ago. Any Magical Beast with Dragon Blood is powerful; even if the purity of that blood is low, it is not something most magical beasts can compete against, and the Goliath Frog has been soundly suppressed for a long time. The only problem is that the Goliath Frog has no idea how to push itself into the Foundation Realm, with its desperation growing enough to the point it has likely set its sights on the Dracrocodile. The Goliath Frog has no chance of beating it head-on. Still, if it managed to utilise every region to target it, using the resources from each region to enhance its subordinates quickly, it might have a chance.' 

Hearing Lady, she understood the implication of her words. It was likely the Frog Queen was related to the Goliath Frog in some way.

Yet hearing the word "Dracrocodile" made her pause; she seriously couldn't have unintentionally run into the swamp's shockingly powerful, most feared Beast King by accident, could she?

Either way, she needed to act hurriedly. She knew the Frogs and Toads would want to call on their assistance soon, and she needed the enhancement the fruit would bring.

Lady seemed to agree, saying, 'Let us return to our den. It will be private and a good place to eat those fruits.'

Agreeing with her, she accompanied Lady and Claw returning to the cave. The fruits were brought to a large pile, which the Frogs and Toad had long passed to Iron Salamanders to carry into the den so they could await her.

The Salamanders seemed transfixed by the beautiful green glowing fruits, but fortunately, the toxic foul aura the fruits emitted prevented any of them from taking a curious bite.

She was unsure what a normal Iron Salamander reaction to the fruit would be, yet she felt it would go no better than consuming one of the Toads or Frogs. 

It was finally time to consume the fruits and see if she could push her trait to its limit.

The Frog Queen has provided them with a relatively large number of fruits, showing she had them clearly in abundance. She is likely similar to Claw and Lady, who, long ago, extracted the fruits' full benefits for herself and the Toad King.

She would not be this generous otherwise whether she had the partnership in mind. 

Examining the Fruits, she found they had a similar glow to the Iron Dragon Fruit yet were apple-shaped instead of pear. They were also bright, translucent green, appearing lush and beautiful. However, as a magical beast with extreme senses, the fruits' pure beauty appeared like an illusion, hiding the extreme aura of toxicity and death that they exuded. 

To certain beasts, like the Toads and Frogs, the fruit was a tonic that empowered their natural abilities with poison; to others, it was pure death. Tara just hoped it was the former. She knew the system's abilities well, yet she still felt nervous about bringing the incredibly toxic-looking fruit to her mouth.

'Here it goes.' Tara thought.

It was finally time to experience the effects of the fruit first-hand.