Back with the group, they moved on from Quarreler's Pass, before stopping in another town due to some wagon troubles, with broken reins, the town they stopped in called Ribbitvale, where they ran into none other than the town kook One-Eyed Wally, who was son of a wealthy noble, the poor kook under pressure of his parents. Determined to help the frog, and an idea from a movie, Anne tried to help, but only made things worse. After a game of Beast Polo, father and son reconciled with an accordion and jug blowing duet…along with a giant peacock attack, which was swiftly taken care of by Shadow.
The group soon stopped in a town called Stony Gulch, parking the snails and wagons outside the town's entrance before entering, with the humans having their hoods up to cover their faces as to not scare the townsfolk.
"New town! New town! New town!" Anne, Kaemon, Valor, Ina, Ivy, Maddie and the Plantars all chanted, clearly excited about a new town outside Frog Valley, passing by shops of various kinds.
"Food!" Polly said.
"Shops!" Ivy said.
"Clothes!" Ina said.
"Swords!" Kaemon said.
"Arts exhibits!" Maddie said.
"Souvenirs!" Valor said.
"This place is so cool!" Sprig said, hopping with excitement. "What should we do first?"
"Let's see." Hop Pop pulled out his wallet and opened it, empty with nothing but dust. "Nothing. All we can afford is window-shopping, kids."
The kids groaned sadly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't bring that much money either." Shadow said.
"But hey, there's nothing wrong with just looking around." Cody said, hoping to cheer them up.
"Not the same, Cody." Valor said with a frown.
"Aw, I really wanted to get my mom a souvenir." Ivy complained.
"I doubt that'd be enough to keep you out of trouble." Maddie told her.
"It's the thought that counts!" Ivy exclaimed.
Anne waved a hand in front of her face, sweating from the hood. "Man, it's hot."
"Ditto." Ina agreed, the two lowering their hoods. "Better."
The sound of gasping was heard, the group turning to see a crowd of frogs staring at them in shock, specifically at Anne and Ina.
"Right. Sometimes I forget about the whole 'I'm a freak in this world!' thing." Anne said.
A little polliwog started crying.
"Oh, no, no, no, don't cry sweetie." Ina said, going up to the little one. "We're not monsters, we're just weird looking." Seeing that the poor child was still crying, she sprung an idea. Pulling her flute out, she began to play a song. As she played, she used her powers to create water figures of silly dancing frogs from the polliwog's tears. When she stopped, the frogs cheered, including the now-happy polliwog.
"Mommy! Mommy! Give the freak money." She said to her mother.
"It was a lovely performance." The mother said before giving Ina some coins. "Here."
"Do it again! Do it again!" The polliwog said happily.
Ina looked back at the others, wondering if she should.
"Milk it!" Polly exclaimed, as she moved her bucket in front of the blue-haired girl, for the patrons to toss their money in.
"I, I don't know." Ina said, slightly hesitant.
"Come on, dude! You're talented! Show them more of it!" Anne said before beginning to cheer her on. "Ina! Ina! Ina!"
"Ina! Ina! Ina!" The rest of the kids said, chanting with Anne.
"Okay, okay, maybe just a few more times." Ina said with a smile, continuing with her performance.
It was near sundown by the time the townsfolk left, the kids collecting the coins from Ina's performance into Polly's bucket.
"Wow, Ina. You made a bucket of money! Literally!" Sprig said.
"Whoo-hoo! Now, how are we gonna spend all of this cay-esh?" Anne said, looking around the town.
"Most of the shops are already closed though." Maddie said before her eyes laid on a building that was shaped like the Eye of Providence with a sign that said 'Curiosity Hut' over the door. "Oh. That oddity place is still open! How about it?"
Ina looked at the shop with serious eyes before turning to Cody and Valor, both nodding in approval, before she looked back at the others with a giddy smile. "Sounds great!"
"Well, you made the money." Hop Pop said. "But only if you keep your hoods up. Don't like you drawing so much attention to yourself."
"Deal. Let's do it." Anne said, pulling her hood back up.
The group approached the hut and entered, the frogs and newt sticking their heads in, seeing several statues straight out of a freakshow, like a two-headed dove, a mantis playing basketball, a rat-bird hybrid, a frog version of the Figi mermaid and several gnomes.
The sight of such creatures made the frogs very uncomfortable, well, except for Maddie, who was looking about with a creepy smile of interest. Kaemon looked awestruck, as though in his mind, he was wishing such creatures were real.
"Uh, I think this place is closed!" Polly stated. "So, let's leave and never come back!"
"Are you kidding? Come on." Anne said, walking inside.
"Yeah, what're you, chickens?" Valor teased with a grin as he followed in.
"Hey, I ain't no chicken!" The Polliwog snapped back. "I just…don't like the way they look at me."
"Come now, they're just statues." Shadow said, looking at a very real looking snake. "Very life-like statues, I admit."
The amphibians followed behind, all huddled together, shivering, even Ivy, who was always willing to dive headfirst, was clinging to Sprig. The only exception was Maddie and Kaemon, who were already looking about with interest.
Anne chuckled at the sight. "Guys, it's all fake! They're trying to scare you!" She then saw something that piqued her interest. "Whoa. Look at this hot mess!"
The statue in question was a light-orange frog with large, yellow eyes and bushy grey eyebrows. The clothing consisted of a black suit over a white shirt with a red bow tie similar in color to the maroon fez with an amphibian symbol. The hands held an eight-ball cane as well as a black eyepatch over one of the eyes.
"It's actually pretty lifelike!" Kaemon said, leaning closer.
"Yeah, it even smells real." Polly said, reaching a flipper out.
Suddenly, the 'statue' swatted her flipper away. "Hands off the merchandise!" He suddenly said.
Anne and the frogs screamed, Kaemon and the humans looked like they were about to attack, when the frog screamed before suddenly laughing.
"The ol' 'mistaken for a grotesque lifeless being!' Works every time!" The frog declared. "Welcome to my Museum of Oddities. I go by many names, but you can call me 'The Curator'."
"Little on the nose, but okay." Polly said.
"He reminds me of someone, but I can't quite put my finger on it…" Anne said, tapping a finger against her chin.
"And if you chuck some of that cash into this here sack," The Curator said, holding up a sack. "I'll give you a tour of the greatest museum these parts have to offer!"
Anne complied, throwing a few coins into the sack, the Curator eying Anne and the other humans suspiciously.
"What's the matter, honey? You and your buddies faces too ugly for public?" He said with a laugh.
"Wouldn't you like to know." Anne replied with a smirk, pulling her hood over her face.
"Oh. A mystery. I love it! But enough chitchat. Walk with me." He gestured, leading them around. "I've traveled all over Amphibia, collecting its most rare and frightening creatures." He gestured to the two-headed dove. "Like the two-headed love dove. There's... I dunno, probably some kinda marriage allegory in there." He then pointed at the mantis with the ball. "Oh, and over here, the bugball playing praying mantis, Airbug! There's nothing in the rule book that says a mantis can't play bugball." He spread his arms out. "I got the weirdest stuff right here. Feel free to look around. But keep in mind, breathing in the dust will be extra."
And with a laugh, he threw down a smoke bomb on the ground, which exploded. As the smoke cleared, he seemed to have disappeared, but then he ran from behind a wax statue while panting.
"Oh, I know now!" Anne said with a snap of her fingers. "Stan From Gravity Falls!"
"Someone you know?" Shadow inquired.
"An uncle of Dipper and Mabel." Anne explained. "I met them during a school trip at one point."
Polly looked at one of the statues, the figure standing frozen…at least she thought so, before the wax figures eyes suddenly moved, causing the polliwog to scream before running and jumping into Hop Pop's arms.
"Its eyes! They're watching me!" She said in a panic.
"Well, I had enough." The old frog said.
"Yep, me too." Sprig agreed.
"Anne, this place is freaking us out. We're gonna wait outside." Hop Pop said before the Plantar family stepped outside.
"Yeah, I'm heading out too." Ivy said, clearly freaked out by the exhibit.
"Yeah, I'm gonna check out those sword shops now." Kaemon said, having lost interest. "These things aren't real anyway."
"I still want to check out those apothecary stores." Maddie said, following after.
"Remember to find us at the wagons, Ina." Cody said, both he and Valor leaving.
"Same to you, Anne." Shadow said. "I'll be checking on the snails."
"Okay, cool. See you guys...later?"
Anne walked into the Artifacts room, Ina following behind, seeing more strange exhibits, like the Hand of Glory and a bunch of skulls, before finally stopping at an item that definitely looked out of place. A light green CD-player along with a set of headphones
"Oh my God! Is that a Skip-Man?!" Anne said as she picked it up. Ina looked at it like an ancient device from a past civilization.
"What is that thing?" The blue-haired girl asked. "And what makes it so special?"
"This a music player, Ina." Anne explained. "My parents used to have one of these, you put a CD in it, and you listen to music through it."
"Really?"
"Yeah, and I have a few CD's in my backpack. If we get this, we can listen to them."
"Anne, that. Is. Incredible!" Ina exclaimed with sparkling eyes. "We've got to get this Hop-Boy!"
"It's called a Skip-Man, sweetheart." The Curator said, appearing from nowhere, as he took it from Anne. "And it can be yours, for a million coppers!"
"Oh, come on, man. We can't afford that." Anne complained.
"Okay, fine. How about we trade for it then?" The curator suggested. "Got anything rare or vomit-inducing I could display in exchange?" He laughed.
"Well, I might have something…" Ina said, reaching into her bag.
"Actually, we do have something." Anne said, reach for her and Ina's hoods.
"Anne, what're you-"
"Tada!" She suddenly pulled their hoods down.
"Sweet tadpole Mary!" The Curator exclaimed in shock, lifting up his eyepatch.
"That's right. We're the ultimate oddities, baby!" Anne declared, hooking an arm around Ina's neck. "I'll make you a deal. We'll be your special attraction for one day only."
"Anne, what're you doing?" Ina hissed, trying to protest.
"Say no more, kid." The Curator accepted with glee. "One day of you in exchange for the Skip thing and everything I know about it. You got a deal."
"Seriously? This is hu-yuge." Anne said, shaking his hand roughly. "You won't be disappointed, dude."
"I've already got some pretty elaborate plans for your exhibit. Come back tonight after closing time and we can discuss."
"Elaborate, huh? I like the sound of that! See you later." Anne said, pulling the older girl out the door.
As they left, the Curator had a wicked grin on his face. "Looks like we just hit paydirt, Frog Soos."
Behind his was a pear-shaped teal frog wearing a green shirt with a question mark on the front and wearing a brown cap, Frog Soos sweeping the floor merrily.
"Say, Mr. Ponds, do you get the feeling that we exist simultaneously in multiple parallel universes, completely unaware of the other's very existence?" He suddenly asked.
"You've been licking yourself again, Frog Soos?" The Curator asked with a frown.
Frog Soos chuckled. "Caught me again, Mr. Ponds!" He then started licking himself.
"Anne, are you crazy?!"
After leaving the shack, Ina clearly didn't approve of this idea.
"Ina, this is big for us!" Anne responded with barely contained excitement. "All we have to do is be the museum's main attraction for a day."
"Anne, this is crazy." Ina rejected. "I'm seriously get creepy vibes from him. I mean…Well, just look at him!"
They turned to see the Curator staring at them with a creepy smile before closing the curtains, still staring at them through two holes cut in.
"Look, I understand your concern, but this could explain so much." Anne tried to reason with her.
Ina wanted to argue further, when she sprung an idea.
"Actually, why don't you let me handle it?" She suggested with a smile. "I'll put the screws on him and…convince him to let us have it."
"Oh, you'd do that?" Anne asked.
"Sure, consider it repayment for your hospitality." Ina nodded. "In the meantime, why don't you go out with Azazel around town? Have yourselves some fun."
"Oh awesome!" Anne declared. "Thanks, Ina! You're the best!"
Anne ran back towards the wagons, all the while Ina watched, her smile forming a more malicious grin, one that was planning something devious.
"Now, there won't be any witness'."
Back at the wagon, Shadow was looking over the map of Amphibia with Cody and Hop Pop, while Polly, Sprig, Valor, and Ivy were sat off to the side drawing in coloring books and doing word puzzles, when Anne barged in.
"Guys, you won't believe what I found!" She declared. "A Skip Man!"
Everyone looked at her with confusion.
"Trust me, it's big." Anne went on. "And Ina's working on getting it for me."
"Wait, Ina said that?" Cody asked with a raised brow, prompting Valor to look up.
"Yeah, something about showing gratitude." Anne said. "In the meantime, Shadow and I've got some dating to do!"
Before Shadow could speak up, Anne grabbed the boy before dragging him outside, the frogs looking at each other with confused looks.
Valor and Cody, on the other hand, gave knowing looks, knowing full well what Ina was up to.
Back at the hut, Frog Soos was carrying a bag full of trash, humming to himself before walking around back before throwing it into the garbage lizard out back. Dusting his hands, he turned to go back inside, but yelped when he saw Ina standing at the corner, a plastic grin on her face.
"Hey, Soos~" She said, in an almost too friendly tone.
"Oh, hi there!" Frog Soos gave a friendly wave. "What brings you in so soon?"
"You've been working so hard, Soos." Ina cooed. "And yet, you most likely don't get paid enough."
Surprised, Frog Soos gave it some thought. "Well, I certainly wouldn't mind a bigger pay."
"So, I have a nice gift for you." Ina said, stepping forward. "So, why don't you close your eyes and count to ten and I'll get it ready?"
"Oh boy, will I?"
As the amphibian closed his eyes and started counting down, water tendrils slowly slithered from her cloak.
"…Eight…Nine…Ten!"
The minute Frog Soos opened his eyes, he didn't have any time to react when a water tendril in the shape of a spike drilled into his face.
Inside the hut, the Curator was dusting his wax statues, and he couldn't control his excitement. He had just gotten the biggest break in his life and he had just finished setting the stage!
Backing up, he admired his work. After so many years of collecting creatures and trapping them in wax and finally, he was hitting pay dirt.
Just as he turned around, he nearly jumped when he saw Ina entering, closing and locking the door behind her, and a sly grin on her face.
"Oh, it's you, Blue." He said. "What're you doing back so soon?"
"Hey, nothing like getting started early, right?" Ina shrugged. "Besides, I figured I'd do my friend a favor."
"And she's…?" The Curator said.
"Had to take a rain check." Ina answered, walking up to him. "So, I'll have to be your main attraction, but don't worry. I guarantee I'll bring in more tourists."
Slowly, she started unbuttoning her cloak, much to the Curators curiosity, before she finally threw it off. She wore a cropped white jacket with a black unitard with blue accents over a pair of white shorts and high gray stockings, and black knee-high boots. Her hair was held in a tight ponytail and she had blue lipstick and eyeliner.
"So, what do you think?" She asked, turning around and showing off her impressive figure. "Not bad, eh?"
"Whoa, I gotta hand it to ya, you're a bombshell!" The Curator declared with a smile. "Well, since you're insistent, you'll be the star! And every star needs a stage."
He pulled back the curtains of a doorway to reveal another room with a fancy stage with flashing lights and an X at the center.
"Whoa. Fancy! So, about that Skip Man..." Ina began to say, but the Curator interrupted.
"Bup, bup, bup. All in good time, sweetie." He insisted. "You'll get what's coming to you."
"Liking the sound of that!" Ina said with excitement, following him to the stage.
"Say, why don't you stand up there? Soak it all in." He said, gesturing to the stage with his cane.
Smiling, Ina hoped on stage and stood on the X before doing an alluring pose.
"How's this?" She asked with a smirk.
The Curator laughed. "That's the stuff. Now, since you're my main attraction, I'm gonna let you in on this museum's biggest secret." He proceeded to walk over to a large object covered with a tarp. "You see, truth is nothing's fake. Everything here is real. Real and frozen in wax. Just like you!"
He then pulled the tarp off, revealing a machine with various levers and tubes before he pulled the biggest lever, a large tube dropping down around the blue-haired girl and trapping her inside.
"Ah, yep. Yeeep. This all tracks." She said nonchalantly, lightly kicking the glass.
"Yeah, I knew who you were, the minute you walked in, Ina the Water Witch!" The Curator declared, prompting the girl to raise a brow. "And now that you're here, everyone's gonna wanna come to see the Water Witch's beauty! And you're not just gonna be the main attraction tomorrow! You'll be here forever!"
He laughed maniacally as he pulled the lever, the machine beginning to pump wax into the tube…
…only for it to stop when it reached the hole leading into the large tube.
"Hey, what's wrong with this thing?!" The Curator said, kicking at the machine. "It should be filling up with wax!"
When he looked back at Ina, however, he noticed something; her hand was raised upward, and looking at the hole, he noticed how the wax was indeed trying to get in, but it seemed as though it was being pushed back.
"What the…?" He said in utter confusion.
"Oh, Stan." Ina said, shaking her head with a sly smile. "If you really knew who I was, then you should know what I can do."
She then balled her hand into a fist, leaving her index finger and pointing upward, and as if on command, the wax went back up the tube and into the machine, causing it to smoke from the pressure, making the Curator stare back in shock.
"…Oh crud."
Back at the hut, Cody and Hop Pop were in the middle of a game of flipwart, while the kids were asleep, when they heard a loud booming sound come from outside. It was quite far, but still loud enough for them to hear.
"What was that?!" Hop Pop said, looking out the window and towards the town.
"Probably just kids playing with firecrackers." Cody said dismissively. "Come, sit. It's your move."
Although hesitant, Hop Pop sat back down to consider his next play, all the while Cody thought to himself.
'Ina, you better wrap it up.'
Back in the museum, the Curator coughed as he struggled to his knees. Looking up, he saw that his machine was destroyed, and the glass tube trapping Ina was shattered.
"My machine!" He panicked, gripping his head with his hands. "Years of hard work, ruined!"
He then noticed a shadow looming over him, prompting him to look up to see Ina standing over him and her expression was anything but bubbly.
Gone was that joyful, fun-loving smiling face that was shown before. In its place was a blank, deathly stare.
The expression of a killer.
"Uh oh."
In town, Anne and Shadow walked hand in hand, stopping by the various shops, enjoying the company of one another. Ever since leaving the valley, the two rarely have moments like this where it was just the two of them, so it was certainly a nice change of pace.
Eventually, the two stopped at a food shop before ordering some food.
"This is nice." Anne said. "Just the two of us, under the night sky."
"I certainly miss these moments." Shadow admitted. "Then again, we haven't had a proper date since we became official."
"Yeah, but now's a good time to rectify that." Anne said.
Once their food arrived, the two chowed down on their meal, occasionally engaging in small talk and pointing out the stars in the sky.
"Are you worried?" Anne asked. "About returning to Newtopia, I mean."
"I won't lie, I'm terrified." Shadow admitted. "I'm not sure what to expect. Especially if things are different."
"What about the king?" Anne asked.
Shadow paused, thinking for a moment.
"Honestly, I'm not looking forward to it." He finally said.
"Were things really that bad?" Anne asked, unsure.
"I admit, for the first few years, things were okay." Shadow told her. "He treated me like any father should. Whenever I had questions, he'd tell me. Whenever I was sad or upset, he'd listen and comfort me."
"What changed?" Anne asked.
"Well, after another few years, the more I grew and train…the more I followed orders without thinking, the more he viewed me as a tool."
"What made you leave?"
"I started thinking." He said. "I…saw things I probably shouldn't have. Events that would lead to Amphibia's ruin. And because I thought no one would believe me, I left."
"Must be hard." Anne said sympathetically.
"It still is." Shadow nodded.
Suddenly, they heard a loud, girl-like scream coming from the museum, making the two look in that direction.
"What was that?" Anne asked with concern.
"If I assume correctly, Ina working the screws on the Curator." Shadow shrugged. "I'm sure she's convincing him to part with the Skip Man."
Inside the museum, Ina was most definitely convincing him, but not in the way one would expect. The Curator in question was suspended in the air wrapped in a water tendril while held upside down with another tendril wrapped around his feet, the tendril hooked on the beams overhead. Down below, several water spikes were pointed upward, as though to impale him should he fall.
"You were planning on trapping my friend in wax, weren't you?" Ina growled in anger. "Hoping a few freakshows would send your business to the moon, did you?"
"Hey, anything to make money, eh?" The Curator chuckled, but his tone soon changed when Ina started lowering him to the spikes. "Wait, wait! Hear me out! I'll cut you in on the profits. 10%. Okay, 11%. 11.5%. I'm not coming to 12. So, you might as well just..."
"No amount of money will get you out of this." Ina said coldly.
"Look, I got that Skip Guy thing from Newtopia, alright?!" The Curator panicked, getting closer to the spikes. "They sell all kinds of artifacts, and people pay a pretty copper to see some!"
When the spikes got closer, he panicked even more. "Look, I'll close the doors for good! I swear! Nobody messes with the Water Witch, no sir!"
Ina grinned. "Beg."
"Please! Please, for the love of Frog, don't kill me!" The Curator practically started crying.
Thinking it over, Ina dismissed the water spikes and binds, letting the Curator drop to the ground, the frog scrambling away to the stage in fright.
"Then as payment, you owe me everything you ever made from this dump." She said, turning away before snatching up a small safe with a water claw. "And by my word, I won't kill you."
The Curator let out a sigh of relief. Sure, he lost a month's worth of profits, but at least he was alive.
"Wanna hear a fun fact?"
He looked up at the Water Witch, the blue-haired girl giving a devious look.
"Wax generally refers to 'organic substance that becomes solid at room temperature and liquid when heated'." She said, holding up a hand, preparing to snap. "In other words, even solidified, wax still counts as a liquid."
Her fingers snapped, and the wax encasing the creatures melted away, freeing the creatures; the two-headed love dove, the snake, the ball-playing mantis, the frog gnomes (one was called Shmebulock). All ganged up on the Curator before dragging him away.
"No!" He screamed in terror, grabbing onto the door of the storage room. "You promised! You said you wouldn't kill me!"
Ina looked over her shoulder, a smirk on her face.
"I lied~"
The Curator screamed as he was pulled in, the door slamming shut, as red liquid seeped from beneath the door.
"Calm down, everyone. It's just wax."
Her job done, Ina turned and proceeded to leave, but not before grabbing a torch and throwing it to the curtain of the stage, setting it on fire. Walking to the door and flipping it over to 'CLOSED', then hastily writing 'forever' on it, she left the building, making her way back to the wagons, where Cody and Valor were outside packing supplies onto the wagon.
"Hey, guys!" She called, reverting back to her usual, bubbly self.
"Hey, Ina!" Valor called with a wave. "How'd it go with the museum?"
"Eh, museums are overrated." She shrugged before leaning in to whisper. "And I took care of that curator guy."
"Good to know." Cody whispered back. "No more animal endangerment from him."
Just then, Shadow and Anne returned, holding hands.
"Oh, hey you two!" Valor greeted. "How'd the date go?"
"It went pretty good!" Anne said with a smile. "Even went bowling."
"It was certainly the fun experience." Shadow nodded.
"Well, nice to know you had fun." Ina said. "Oh, and before I forget," She then pulled the skip man from her cloak. "Here's the hop boy you wanted!"
Anne's eyes widened and sparkled with joy before taking it. "No way! Dude, you're the best! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She leapt at Ina with a hug, surprising the blue-haired girl before she smiled and returned the hug.
"Oh. And the Curator said he got this from Newtopia." Ina told her. "Which means we're on the right track."
"Well, time to head off." Hop Pop said. "Won't be long now before we reach Newtopia!"
As everyone got ready to depart, Anne pulled Ina to the side.
"Hey, I'm sorry for pushing you into this." She said with a sad look. "It was reckless. And besides, we work better as a team."
"Hey, it's all good." Ina assured. "The important thing is, we're all okay." She then thought to herself, 'Except for that Curator. He's dead.'
"Well, shall we then?" Anne said with a smile. "Onward family! To Newtopia!"
"Now, about that skip man?" Ina inquired with interest.
Nodding, Anne held up the CD layer before noticing something etched in plastic on the back. "'Frakes'. That must be the one who owned it!"
"Another mystery, it seems." Ina said. "Now, enough of that. Time for some music!"
As the group departed, no one noticed a black cloaked figure watching from afar, wearing a wide-brimmed black hat decorated with a large feather with black and red stripes. He watched the two wagons with hawk-like eyes before holding up a wanted poster with Kaemon's face on it.
He stared at the wagons with malicious glee, a wicked grin on his face.
Far from the scene, a village is seen being burned down, before the screech of a hawk moth echoed throughout the barren area, before cawing. And coming up from behind, is a hooded figure riding on a barbariant, with an army of toads also riding the coral headed ants, all riding with purpose. The leader then pulled the reins to cease his steed and stopping his army. He then listened for something, something that caught his attention. He looked to his left, pointed at the direction, and three of his men go looking for the something. And after a moment, the three toads return with two newts in Knight Guard cloaks.
"Newtopian scouts." One toad told his leader. The big figure hopped off his ant, and walked to the frightened scouts. He removed his hood, as he walked, revealing himself to be a large gray toad with dark-filled eyes and sickly yellow irises.
"Sǐwáng" One newt scout whispered.
Sǐwáng then knelt in front of them, with his hawk moth landing on his arm with a screech. The menacing toad looked at them in silence for a couple of seconds, before speaking.
"Nice work, gentlemen, you found the barbariants." His toad army laughed from the condescending praise to the scouts.
The other scout, trying to be brave, spoke. "The King will stop you!"
"Stop me? He invited me..." Sǐwáng replied, grabbing the brave scout by the neck, and lifted him up from the ground. "By sending his Wolf, he challenged my strength." He then pulled out his sword with a cruel grin adding. "Well, I'm here to play his game." The scout, being choked, could feel his courage fading as he looked into the toad's eyes. "Go!" The toad yelled, tossing the scout forward. "Tell your King to send his strongest armies, I'm ready." The newt scouts did so and ran, away from the monster.
"How many newts does it take to deliver a message?" Sǐwáng asked his archer.
The archer toad notched an arrow, pulled back the string, and said while taking aim.
"One..."