Taxing Toads
Anne screamed loudly. It was barely the crack of the morning and Anne was screaming loudly. She roared up to the heavens, straining and tensing all her muscles like a mighty warrior letting out a warcry. It was a guttural cry to battle that she was letting out. She stopped briefly to catch her breath. Taking a deep breath, she let out louder and longer screams up to the sky like she was challenging the very gods above to face her.
Randy, Sprig and Polly all watched her scream her lungs out from a slight distance as she continued screaming. They were covering their ears as they watched, with each of them coming up with different reasons as to why she was screaming like that and so early.
"Okay, she usually screams like this for a reason, but I can't figure out what it is!" Polly screamed over Anne's own cries.
"Did her magic box die again?!" Sprig asked.
"Nah, it's still at maximum capacity after the Suspicion Island fiasco!" Randy replied. "Did you use her shampoo again?!"
"Not my fault it leaves me so smooth and shiny!" Polly snapped.
"Okay, then I better stop her before she pops something!" Randy said.
"Yeah, any more and she might attract some predators with those loud screams!" Sprig said. "Also, I can't hear you over the screams!"
Randy walked up to Anne and gently grabbed her shoulder, stopping her from screaming for just a second.
"What are you doing?" Randy asked.
"Trying to go Super Saiyanne once more," Anne replied before she started screaming once more.
"What?!" Randy covered Anne's mouth, stopping her all together. "You're trying to use those crazy powers again?! Anne, that is incredibly dangerous! And did you seriously just lick my hand?" Randy pulled his hand away, wiping away the drool.
"Come on, you can't tell me that having that power isn't something we should totally use?" Anne asked before she started coughing. "Man, how does Dragon Ball do all those screams and not get sore throats?" She coughed before Randy handed her his gorge filled with water.
Anne drank the whole thing with only a few gulps before letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Thanks man," Anne sighed.
"You're welcome. And I still think it's a bad idea." Randy put his gorge away. "The Sorcerer is still out there and who knows what else. We need to prepare not just for him but for our journey out into Amphibia."
"Come on, Randy." Sprig hopped on top of Randy's head. "Anne sent that no good snake packing with one blow. If she can summon that power again, she'll be unstoppable."
"I gotta go with my bro on this one, Randy," Polly said. "That blue rage mode was pretty sick. I'd abuse it to heck and back."
"Do I need to remind you that those powers are tied to a box called the Calamity Box?" Randy asked in a deadpan tone. "Look Anne, we don't know how those powers work, and if you go parading them around there's a chance we will get more than the Sorcerer on our backs. There are a lot of beings out there that would love to get their hands on that kind of power. Not to mention that it's only a third of the box's full power. For all we know your friends are out there also carrying that power."
Anne looked in thought wondering about her friends. If they were transported with her and the box then the chances were that they had the same anime powers she had. Which made her wonder if they were in danger or if the Sorcerer or another yokai had gotten ahold of them. She had to get stronger and learn how to be ready to fight those creeps.
"Okay, that's a good thing to keep in mind," Anne sighed. "But how am I going to be ready for that if I can't use my anime powers on command?"
"That's why I'm here." Randy tossed her a wooden sword which she caught.
"Oh great, the wooden sticks of pain and doom," Anne groaned. "Come on Super Saiyanne powers!" She screamed, not getting anything other than a sore throat.
"You're not the only one that's going to train, Anne. I got a few things I wanna test out too." Randy looked to his sword, hoping to get an idea working.
"Oh, can I come too! I really wanna get stronger too!" Sprig jumped up and down. "I also wanna teach that Sorcerer jerk a thing or two! I will become a butt kicking ninja frog and never be taken by surprise ever-!"
"AMBUSH!"
A short yellow frog girl with a blue hat and overalls tackled Sprig from behind, pinning him to the ground.
"Oh yeah! Ivy 100, Sprig 0!" The yellow frog girl said with bravado.
"Oh hey Ivy. What are you doing here?" Sprig asked, hopping back to his feet. "Good unexpected ambush."
"Thanks, I heard a lot of screams and decided to check it out. I thought someone was being murdered," Ivy said. "Oh hey, you're that girl-Randy everyone is all hush hush about. Name's Ivy."
"I go by Anne actually," Anne said. "It's nice to meet you, Ivy. Are you Sprig's girlfriend?"
Sprig couldn't help but blush at the comment.
Randy couldn't help but smirk as he noticed Ivy blushing slightly on the side.
"She's the only girl that's not related to him that actually talks to him," Polly snickered.
"We're just friends, Polly." Sprig gave his sister a serious glare.
Ivy turned to Randy with a smirk. "So, Randy, remember that fight you promised me? Well, seeing as you're here, I've come to collect."
"Hey, he's supposed to help train me." Anne stood up. "But I'm sure you can try to catch up."
"Well, that depends. You like being randomly ambushed?" Ivy challenged the tall girl, which got a laugh from both girls.
Randy smirked as Anne and Ivy quickly became friends. Part of him envied how easily she managed to connect with people in Wartwood. Even Wally called her by her name from time to time. It took him at least three years before he got in talking terms with the old frogs.
But there were more important things than reminiscing about the stubbornness of the townsfolk. He had to get ready for the upcoming journey out of the valley and grow stronger to face off against threats like the Sorcerer. The pass would clear up in a couple of weeks if not at least two months and there was much more preparing to get through.
"Actually, I think I could use two partners to test out something new," Randy said.
"You gonna use the fire sword?" Anne asked.
"Nope," Randy smiled.
"Alright, the odds are in our favor!" Anne and Ivy high fived.
Sprig and Polly couldn't help but wonder if they had any proper odds or if Randy was going to end up winning.
Randy blocked a swing from Anne before jumping back and blocking an attack from Ivy. He spun around, pushing them both back with his wooden sword. His eyes stayed on them as they attacked him on two separate fronts, shifting his stance to block and counter each other. They had been going at it for a good while, and Randy was still keeping his cool. His hands gripped tightly on his sword as he took in a deep breath. It was time to put his new trick up to the task and see if he could best them with it.
"You two ready?" Randy asked.
"Born ready, baby!" Anne spun her sword and assumed the correct stance.
"Oh yeah!" Ivy pointed at him with her own sword.
"Here goes," Randy took in a deep breath.
He felt the full concentration of his breath flowing through his body like a fire. His blood vessels moved faster, his muscles tensed up full of energy and his eyes focused solely on facing what was in front of him. He lifted his sword upwards, turning it until it was facing the two girls as his body felt like liquid fire flowed through him.
"Okay, I go right and you go left," Anne said with a smirk on her face.
"You got it, Anne!" Ivy hopped to the left, charging at Randy as Anne ran at him from his right.
Randy's body moved fast as a roaring stream of fire. His legs moved faster than normal straight towards Anne. She jumped, swinging hard in a downward strike towards him. He swung his wooden sword in a diagonal slice, blocking her own swing before swinging upwards, sending her back. Then like a flowing river, he turned his eyes on Ivy. She thrusted her sword towards his head. Randy ducked under her attack, letting it pass over his head. He swung his sword upwards, sending her flying into Anne with a powerful hit of his own wooden sword.
Anne caught Ivy as Randy spun around to look at them with a smirk on his face. The girl and the young frog panted together, noting Randy's steely determination. Anne handed Ivy her sword before picking up the one that the yellow frog girl had dropped.
Randy smiled as he got ready for another attack. This time, the girls charged at him together. They swung at him wildly, putting him on the defensive. He continued walking backwards, blocking the attacks coming towards him. He ducked and weaved around the attacks with his sword remaining up for extra defense. He parried a strike to his head before countering another attack from the side. They were pushing harder and Randy was doing his best to keep up with their strong attacks. His breathing grew warmer, stronger and harder, keeping him fighting in a condition most found unfavorable. But he wasn't going to last long at this rhythm.
Ivy swung upwards, making Randy take another step back, opening himself to Anne's opening. She swung her sword hard towards his stomach.
Randy held his sword downwards. Using the momentum of Anne's swing, he rolled over the wooden sword. Landing on his feet, Randy was met with another thrust from Ivy's sword. He moved his head just in time, only losing a couple of hairs from his head. It was time to end this fight before he was completely overwhelmed. Planting his feet on the ground, he charged right up at the two girls with all his might. The air around his swings grew so hot that it felt like he was swinging a blazing sword. He raised his sword high up before bringing it down on the space between the two girls as hard as he could.
Anne and Ivy jumped away, feeling as though the air itself would burn them alive.
Randy struck the ground, breaking his sword as soon as it connected. He panted heavily as he looked at the remains of the sword he was grabbing. His legs felt weak as he fell on his butt.
"Whoa, that was awesome!" Sprig and Polly cheered together.
"Man, I am so pumped!" Ivy joined them in the cheer. "No wonder your gramps left you in charge, Randy. I bet you could slay a hundred oni and yokai easily!"
"Dude, what was that?!" Anne asked. "You totally made me think the wooden sword was on fire!" She helped him back to his feet.
"It's a little something that I thought of." Randy pushed himself back up with Anne's help. "After the fight with the Sorcerer, I figured that I can't rely on just small uses of the Fire Dance. So, I figured that I could incorporate that breathing style into the Norushi Sword Style. That way my body will adapt better and I can use the Fire Sword more in the future."
"Didn't you try that before?" Sprig asked.
"Yeah, and it felt like the sword was fighting it. Like the fire wasn't lighting up. But this way, I can at least get a better understanding of the condition I need to fill in the blanks on how to properly use the sword," Randy explained, looking at the fire sword like it was judging him from afar.
Ever since he got the sword, it had been a constant uphill battle to fully master it. For every step he took in the right direction, he stumbled his way through it. The way that the weapon weighed whenever he tried to use it a certain way made him feel like he was not strong enough. But with no master in the mystic arts he had to feel his way through the whole experience. Bitter and often frustrating work but it was still the only work he got.
"I still can't believe you got a fire sword of all things," Ivy said. "Can I touch it?"
"Careful there, Ivy. Last time I did that, I felt so dry that I almost turned into a mummy," Sprig warned Ivy.
"It's just a touch." Ivy grabbed the handle of the Norushi Fire Sword and immediately felt like a dried up fish. "Oh man, that's hot and dry!" She let go of the sword.
"Warned you." Sprig helped her to her feet as Randy strapped his sword on his belt.
There were still a lot of mysteries revolving around the sword but Randy was going to unlock them.
A shadow passed over them, causing the group to look up. Covering their eyes from the sunlight, they saw a bat the size of a football flying down towards them with a hiss.
"Ah! Vampire bat!" Anne screamed, grabbing the sword tightly to hit it. "Wait, what?"
Randy held up his arm, letting the bat cling to it like a messenger hawk.
"Relax, Anne, it's just a messenger bat. We used it all the time in the Eastern Toad Tower." Randy spotted a message attached to the bat. "And it looks like there's a message here. Wonder what it's doing here?"
"Whoa, a message from the Eastern Tower?" Sprig asked.
"I heard their former leader, Sarutobi, slayed a hundred oni and beasts in a single night," Ivy whispered.
"It was only 95," Randy said. "But this one has the symbol of the Southern Tower. Must be a message from Howard, he transferred there." Randy opened the letter and began reading it. "It is from Howard. Wonder what he's writing about?"
Randy silently read the letter intended for him.
'Dear Cunningham,
I hope I was writing to you under better circumstances. My time in the Southern tower has been mostly a pleasant experience with the few friends I've made, but most of the recruits here are a bunch of thugs like Buffo. The captain of the tower is one mean piece of work, and some of his underlings are vicious. I write to warn you that the tower didn't get their taxes from Wartwood and are sending some toads to collect what's owed. And they are the kind that Sarutobi would've thrown in the brig without a second thought. If you can, find out what's up and, if not, well, give them a good scare.
Your old friend at troublemaking, Howard Weinerman.'
Randy frowned at the letter. Something was wrong.
"Anything good, Randy?" Anne asked.
"Not exactly." Randy put away the letter with a worried look on his face before giving the bat a strawberry as payment.
"Kids! Kids!" Hop Pop called the group. "I'm heading into town to do some shopping! Come along!"
"Do we have to?!" Polly groaned.
"I am not leaving you alone after you set the kitchen on fire yesterday!" Hop Pop rebutted.
The group groaned as they went off to the market with Ivy in tow.
But Randy's mind went to the letter that Howard had sent him. Something smelled rotten from what he'd read. A lot could be said about Wartwood and its people, they were loud, smelly, suspicious of outsiders, stubborn to a fault, prone to riots and angry mobs, hard to accept and even harder to respect. But if there was one thing he knew was certain, it was that they never skipped or cheated on their taxes.
A short ride on Bessie and the Plantars, Randy, Anne and Ivy all made it back to town. Ivy was the first one to hop off the friendly family snail before Hop Pop attempted to park Bessie on a tight spot.
"See you guys around!" Ivy waved at the group.
"Bye Ivy!" Sprig waved back as Hop Pop entered the spot in reverse.
The old frog pushed on into the tight squeeze that was the last remaining spot. But every inch they went in was accompanied by the loud and high pitch noise of two pieces of metal rubbing against each other like nails on a chalkboard. The only other frog in the parking lot looked at Hop Pop and shook his head slowly, telling him that he wasn't gonna make it. But Hop Pop doubled down on his efforts with a confident nod. With one final push worthy of a Herculean figure, Hop Pop parked the snail on the spot while also knocking over the other snails around them.
"Alright kids, let's go and get some much needed groceries," Hop Pop said.
"Oh, I hope they've got that beetle jerky I like," Anne said with excitement before the reality of what she said hit her like a truck. "I've been here too long."
"It is a good type of jerky," Randy shrugged as they went into the super market.
As soon as they passed through the doors, Anne spotted the last bag of beetle jerky that she liked and sprung to snatch it. She reached out to grab it. But the bag was snatched away from her grasp by a quicker tongue that belonged to Wally.
"Sorry, kiddo! But you snooze, you lose!" Wally laughed as he hopped away with his loot. "Better luck next time, scarecrow!"
"Ah dang it!" Anne cursed. "No fair, you got a tongue longer than mine! Ouch!" She got hit from behind by a cart.
"Move your big butt, scarecrow." Mrs. Croaker moved around Anne pushing her cart.
"Hey! I don't have a big butt! I've got one that's just above average for my size!" Anne groaned. "And I'm not a scarecrow." Anne grumbled as she walked away, only to trip on the wet floor the employee was mopping.
"Hey, can't you read a sign, scarecrow?" The greasy teenage employee asked.
Anne groaned in defeat at how the other frogs treated her. Sure she'd caused some problems here and there, but she was still helping clean up those screw ups and on other things. But it seemed like everyone still thought that she was the outsider monster that everyone didn't like. Her face frowned at the annoyance before Sprig and Randy hovered over her.
"Need a hand?" Randy asked.
"And a new lease on this town." Anne grabbed Randy's hand and pulled herself up. "Was it this hard for you to get accepted here?"
"Oh yeah, Randy got shunned the first day he was here," Sprig answered. "But then everyone got to know him and became beloved by all, like me."
"Beloved is a strong word, Sprig," Randy said. "And it took me some time to get everyone to trust me. But once they saw that I was training to be a protector they started to warm up to me."
"And how long did that take you?" Anne asked.
"About two years," Randy admitted, further souring Anne's mood. "Besides, you're more sociable than me, Anne. They'll come around in no time. It is the town's motto after all."
Anne wasn't all that motivated by Randy's words. He spent a whole ten years in Amphibia and the people loved him, but she didn't want to be in her twenties by the time they stopped calling her a scarecrow. She never had trouble making friends back home but it seemed that every time she tried to click with the townsfolk she hit a wall. There had to be a way to earn their respect faster than living in Wartwood for over a decade.
Randy, Anne and Sprig helped Hop Pop with the shopping, loading it up on Bessie as they were preparing to leave. However, something caught their attention.
"Now that's just in poor taste," Hop Pop pointed out.
Right in the middle of the town square was a newly erected statue of Mayor Toadstool kissing a small frog child. Given the mayor's numbers being somewhat half-way to the center of the world, this was seen as just another attempt at making himself look better. Though to everyone else, it just looked like a waste of their tax money.
"I still can't believe our taxes went into that thing instead of the holes on the road or the still destroyed school." Hop Pop grabbed Bessie's reins.
"I wish at least someone would pretend to treat me half as nice as that statue." Anne sighed.
"Don't worry Anne. These stubborn frogs are bound to like you in time," Hop Pop patted her on the shoulder. "After all, slow to accept and slower to respect is the town's motto."
Just then they heard a loud screech coming towards the square. They spotted a carriage being pulled by a large giant tarantula. It looked like a cart fit for a Mad Max world, filled with weapons, leather skins on the sides and spikes on the wheels. At the front, three toads drove the cart, one wearing a metal helmet that covered his face, another one with sick green skin and black hair tied up in pig tails and the last one was a red toad with horns over his eyes. They all looked armed and ready for a fight, like gladiators being shown into the arena. But the worst part was the look of pleasure they got as they arrived into the town.
The three toads liked what they did for a living and they didn't apologise for doing it. They were the classic bullies that came and took your money while baring their sharp teeth like daggers. And worst of all, they were the ones that abused their authority without caring about the responsibility. They saw it like a t-shirt they could take off and put back on whenever it was convenient.
And Randy knew all too good what that could lead to. So he pulled down his mask, making sure they didn't see his face.
"Whoa, who are those guys?" Anne asked.
"Oh great, toads from Toad Tower," Hop Pop groaned.
"They look intense," Sprig added.
"I like their mazes," Polly chirped.
"What's their deal anyway?" Anne asked. "Randy was in one, right?" Anne pointed to him.
But Randy remained quiet, keeping watch over the toads as they continued on their path towards the town hall.
"Well there are four towers all over Amphibia, Anne. They are manned by the toads and their very militaristic lifestyle, their job is to keep the safety of their respective areas whether by doing patrols, fighting against wild beasts that towns can't deal with on their own or even facing off against yokai and oni respectively." Hop Pop pulled up a map of Frog Valley. "We're in the Southern Toad Tower's territory and thus under their protection/authority. The toads are pretty much the muscle that enforces the laws of Amphibia and every year, the frog villages send their taxes to the towers to help maintain them."
Anne couldn't help but whistle at the lore dump that she'd just received. She gave a look at the toads and how everyone stepped aside and looked at them with respect. Part of her wished she could have some of that respect thrown her way.
The toads were met up by Toadstool and Toadie.
"Hello there good sirs, I've got your list right here." Toadstool handed them a list.
"Perfect," the red horned toad said.
Randy narrowed his eyes at the sight of the list.
"They seem cool," Anne said.
"Yeah, let's go say hi to them," Sprig said.
"Now kids, best leave them-And they're already halfway there," Hop Pop sighed as Anne and Sprig went off to meet the toad enforcers. "This'll end badly."
Anne and Sprig walked up to the red toad as he examined one of his weapons along with the other toads. Despite their rough demeanor and clear no-nonsense attitude, the two friends had no issue walking up to them and striking up a conversation. Even if it was clear that these toads were not much for small talk.
"Hey there, we heard you guys are from Toad Tower," Anne said.
"Yep, we're here on business," the red toad replied before picking up another weapon to inspect.
"Must be pretty exciting to come all the way down here to get something done," Sprig said.
"Not really but it does let us stretch our legs-Whoa!" The red toad turned around, spotting Anne. "Mire, check this thing out!"
"Oh back to 'thing' again," Anne muttered.
"Holy moly, what is that thing, Bog?" The female toad now known as Mire asked.
"I don't know, but it looks weird," Bog replied.
"I wonder what it tastes like." Mire pulled out a club.
Now that comment put Anne and Sprig on the defensive.
"Okay, now that's not happening." Sprig pulled out his slingshot aiming it at Mire while Anne had her tennis racket on her hand.
"Yeah, I ain't on the menu, swamp lips." Anne readied herself to fight Mire.
"Let's see how you taste in a stew!" Mire swung her club at Anne.
Anne jumped back, avoiding the attack with ease. All the training she'd done with Randy kicked in. She stepped to the side as Mire swung her club once more with more intention to kill. Anne parried the attack with ease, feeling like she was moving faster than she'd ever done before. Her body felt lighter as she bobbed and weaved around the attacks the toad guard was sending her way. And with every single missed swing, Mire's anger boiled and boiled hotter than the sun itself. She swung her club at Anne's head, hoping to take it clean off. Anne ducked under the strike before swinging her racket upwards. She struck Mire in the face hard, imprinting the net of her weapon on Mire's face.
The large toad was sent flying back onto her back before the eyes of everyone. Including Bog and the other toad.
"Oh crud," Anne said.
"Nice hit Anne," Sprig said.
Bog laughed to the surprise of everyone.
"Not bad, creature. You got some moves there," Bog said. "The name's Bog. The one on the floor is Mire and the big guy next to me is Pond."
The big helmetted toad waved his hand as Mire grumbled back to her feet.
"Bog, give me the Cursed Weapon and I'll teach this creature a lesson!" Mire growled.
"Nah, that one's for emergencies only. Besides, she beat you fair and square," Bog said. "What's your name creature?"
"Anne Boonchuy, resident human." Anne puffed her chest with pride. "Feels good getting some respect after a while."
"You want respect? All you need is a badge like this one." Bog gestured to his badge. "Everyone knows better than to disrespect it. One look and they know we mean business."
Anne looked at the badge with intrigue. One badge and she got all the respect that she could ever ask for. Maybe that was why Randy was so respected and liked? One easy track to getting better treatment and some much needed love in Wartwood?
Anne smirked.
"Well, it was fun meeting you guys, sorry for the trouble and have a nice day." Sprig pulled Anne away from the toads. "I'm sure you're very busy."
"Oh yeah, very busy getting what we're owed." Bog shrugged as he got back to checking the list Toadstool had given him.
All those words did was paint the idea of respect all the more in Anne's mind. One badge and she wouldn't be treated like the town monster.
Randy, Sprig, Hop Pop and Polly were chilling in the living room like nothing was wrong, until Anne entered the house.
"Guess who just joined the Toad Tower troops?" Anne sported a chest plate, an armored shoulder strapped with a sword hanging from her hip.
"What?!" Everyone snapped.
"Anne, when I said that they would embrace you, I didn't mean join a gang!" Hop Pop snapped at the sight of his adopted granddaughter sporting the armor of those thugs.
"You look good, girl," Polly commented.
"I know right? This armor is super intimidating," Anne said. "They gave me this badge and this sword." Anne pulled out the sword a little too fast, slicing the coat hanger next to her in two. "I can fix that later. So, Randy, is this how it felt when you got to your own?"
"No." Randy crossed his arms.
"Oh, well, maybe this'll help. They gave me a spare." Anne flicked another badge Randy's way.
The badge bounced off of Randy as he didn't make any effort to catch it.
"Wow, a little slow on the catch there, buddy. You feeling okay?" Anne asked.
"Anne, the fact that those three just handed you not one but two of those badges shows that they don't care about them," Randy said. "Those toads aren't here to protect anyone, they're here for themselves and only like the authority the badges give them but care nothing for the responsibility that they bring. If anything, they're nothing more than bullies that won't hesitate to turn on others the second it's convenient. Wouldn't be surprised if they become bandits if it suits their needs."
"Whoa, whoa, okay, maybe they do things differently than they did in the Eastern Tower, but they get the respect they deserve," Anne argued. "But hey, I gotta go. Bog and the others asked me to help them with an assignment. See ya later." Anne left the house, leaving a still frowning Randy and a concerned Sprig behind.
"You two are going to follow her around to save her when she gets in too deep?" Polly asked unamused.
"More like when those toads start to show their true colors and Anne comes to her senses," Randy replied, opening the windows to see Anne walking towards the toads.
"Alright, Ninja Sprig is ready for some stealth," Sprig said.
"Try to keep up then." Randy jumped out of the house, using his scarf to swing into the trees.
Sprig followed right behind him. His tongue wrapped around a branch, pulling him up to the trees where Randy was before he jumped on to the next branch.
"They do know there's a door right?" Hop Pop asked.
"Less cool to take the front door," Polly shrugged.
Anne rode on the cart with the toads while they made their way to the first stop of their list. She'd seen a few frogs pass them by and the second they did, they didn't call her names or run away screaming. It was a good feeling. She was no longer the odd thing out. She wondered if this is what Randy felt whenever he went out on patrols or hung around the toads of the other tower. It made her feel like she was important and that she was going places. It almost made her feel like she was back hanging out with Sasha and Marcy.
"Alright, so, what's the sitch, Bog?" Anne asked. "Not that I don't like riding on the cart the whole day."
"Well, Anne, we're just about to reach our first stop." Bog pulled the reins on the tarantula, stopping it.
Anne spotted the rundown shack that used to be a part of a caravan. It looked like it had seen better days but it was still a cozy place to live.
She didn't understand why they were there or why Mire and Pond looked so happy to get their things once they had stopped.
"Hey, isn't this Wally's place?" Anne asked. "Why are we here?"
"You see, Anne, every year the town sends taxes to the tower and this year, they came up a little short." Bog pulled out his hammer, using its reflective end to pick at his teeth. "And the good mayor gave us a list of those that did."
"Oh, so we're here to remind them to do their taxes?" Anne snapped her fingers.
"Something like that." Bog swung his hammer at the caravan's door, smashing it to splinters. "Knock, knock!"
Wally screamed, covering himself. Thankfully he was in a tub covered with bubbles in the middle of a bath.
"What's the meaning of this?!" Wally demanded.
"Um, they say you didn't pay your taxes, Wally," Anne looked at Wally with a conflicted face while the toads looked ready to smash.
"Well that's some rot! I may live in squalor but I always pay my taxes!" Wally snapped.
Anne had to admit that it was a strange sight that the town hobo paid his taxes like everyone else.
"Well, that's not what it says on the list. Let him have it boys!" Bog snapped his fingers.
The three toads gave it to Wally's things alright. They smashed and tossed up the place like it was a bar fight. The few pieces of furniture were trashed and reduced to a few pieces of broken wood and what few valuable possessions were taken by the toads like candy that had fallen out of a piñata at a party. Bog took a jug full of something, Mire took Wally's accordion, Pond got his hands on Wally's hat and they tossed the bag of beetle jerky Anne had wanted her way.
And all the while Wally could only watch and cry in dismay at what little he had got taken away.
"Here you go, Anne, your part of the loot." Bog and the other toads walked out with their ill gotten loot.
Anne immediately felt horrible for what had happened to Wally. The frog hobo had been the first one to think her a monster, and snatched the jerky she wanted but no one deserved this. Her heart told her that this was wrong. It didn't matter that Wally maybe did her taxes wrong or forgot to pay some of them, no one deserved to have their home invaded, trashed and robbed for a few coppers.
She made sure the toads were out of range. She turned back to Wally and handed him the bag of jerky back.
"Here, you keep it." Anne whispered before sprinting out of the shack.
"Thank you." Wally sniffed at the act of kindness.
Randy watched everything unfold from behind the bushes of the swamp. With narrowed eyes he watched as the toads and Anne rode off to the next stop on their list. It took all his strength and self-restraint to not go down there and teach those brutes a lesson. But at the very least, he saw that Anne was not unresponsive to their methods. She now knew that there was something wrong, as he suspected.
"Those jerks, they aren't tax collectors, they're thugs!" Sprig shouted, only for Randy to shush him up with his hand.
"I know, I know, Sprig. But that's not just it," Randy said. "Bog and his goons must've been sent here to collect taxes that weren't delivered to the tower."
"But that's weird, Wally always pays his taxes on time." Sprig liberated his mouth from Randy's hand. "Something's not right here."
"And not to mention that Toadstool raised the taxes just a few weeks ago. Where did all that money go?" Randy asked before he sensed something. "Sprig, duck."
"Wha?" Sprig asked.
"Ambu-!"
Randy swung his scarf, catching Ivy mid jump before pulling her in. He covered her mouth, keeping them from being discovered. He spotted the big toad with the helmet turning their way but then shrugged it off.
They silently waited for them to be farther ahead before Randy untied Ivy.
"A few pointers, Ivy. One, don't yell ambush, that defeats the purpose. And two, what are you doing here?" Randy asked.
"I saw you and Sprig being all sneaky. I thought you were teaching him how to be stealthy," Ivy explained. "So I thought I'd follow you."
"Ivy, this is serious, go home and-" Randy began before he heard something rustling through the bushes.
They turned to see Toadstool and Toadie carrying some bags, well Toadie was carrying them. A copper rolled out of the big bag landing next to their feet.
"A copper?" Sprig asked.
Randy picked it up. He examined the coin before a theory formed in his mind. The presence of the armed toads and the lack of taxes made for an ugly picture.
"Sprig, change of plans. You follow Toadstool and Toadie and find out where they're stashing all those coppers," Randy said.
"But what about you?" Sprig asked.
"I'll go keep an eye on Anne and the toads." Randy turned to where the toads had gone off. "Once you find out where he's taking the money, you meet me back at the farm."
Ivy cleared her throat, reminding them that she was still there.
"You want to tag along with Sprig?" Randy asked with a raised eyebrow. "And if I say no you'll start screaming?"
Ivy nodded.
"Okay, but stay on mission. And don't do anything without me," Randy said. "Understand?"
"You got it boss." Ivy grabbed Sprig. "Come on, Sprig, secret mission!"
The two young frog friends hopped after Toadstool and Toadie.
Randy rolled his eyes at the energy of the two kids. They had a lot of energy but at least they were good at pointing it to stuff that mattered. Now, he had to focus on Anne and the toads that were wrecking the town.
Randy jumped out of his hiding spot, pulling himself up to the tall branches with the aid of his scarf. From high above the trees, he kept watch over the cart commandeered by the toads as they made their way through the list of people that avoided paying taxes. Randy ran on top of the branches before jumping on to the next branch. With the stealth of a trained ninja, he kept up with the cart as it made its way through the town.
Anne's time with the toads was not exactly the experience she had expected. Every stop was a thrashing and a mess, sadly, they weren't the type that she and her friends liked to do for fun. The toads spent the whole trek destroying and plundering the different houses of the frogs that had seemingly not paid their taxes.
After trashing and taking the stuff from Wally's house, they stopped by Sadie Sundew's tea shop. Bog and Mire flipped the tables as Pond ate the cakes through his helmet. Anne managed to steal back one of the china teapots while they continued tearing up the place.
"I'm so sorry," Anne whispered.
Next was a stop at Loggle at his wood shop. Anne watched as Loggle cried as his crafted work was stolen before his eyes without him being able to do anything about it. He dropped to his knees as he watched the toads take his statue and several of his wooden clocks.
Anne snatched one of the clocks that was about to fall before handing it to Loggle.
"Here you go," Anne said.
Even Mrs. Croaker wasn't spared the toads and their raid.
"Get them Archie!" Mrs. Croaker called her pet black spider.
Anne, Bog and Mire moved out of the way for Pond to come in, crawling on the ceiling like an insect. They dropped down from the ceiling, growling and roaring like a feral animal.
Poor little Archie hid behind Mrs. Croaker in fear as the toads stole all their stuff without anyone to stop them.
Anne managed to grab Archie's bed from the loot, giving it back to the poor little spider.
"Bog, listen, not that I don't agree with your methods, but I'm pretty sure these frogs paid their taxes," Anne argued.
The group moved on to their next stop as Anne tried to get to the bottom of the whole mess. She'd started to see just how bad these toads were, even if they were doing their job. It started to make her wonder if her friends would ever get to be this bad and she never noticed.
"They always say that junk, Anne. 'No please, I paid my taxes', 'I promise you they're in the mail', 'I swear, I was only five coppers short, I just got them','Bandits took all my money, I swear'," Bog mocked as Mire and Pond laughed at the memories, much to Anne's growing sense of unease. "Now, let's go to the last stop."
Anne couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"Now this guy sounds like a cheapskate: Hoppediah Plantar." Bog laughed.
Anne's eyes went wide like two saucer pans as they arrived at the Plantar Farm. The clouds hovered over their heads, the wind began to blow and rain started to pour down from the sky as Anne and the toads jumped off the cart. Anne's eyes quickly spotted Hop Pop and Polly standing before their farm, ready to fight off the toad thugs that had just arrived.
"You get off our land, you thugs!" Hop Pop demanded. "I paid all my taxes fair and square! I even got my receipt!"
"That ain't what the list says, old frog!" Bog smirked, holding up the list they were given.
"Bog, please, you got to trust me. I know for a fact that he paid his taxes!" Anne screamed as she remembered that hellish day. "He made me watch!"
Hop Pop looked over a large book with lots of laws and terms on taxes that applied to him and his family as Anne laid on top of a chair like a deflated balloon. She laid there helplessly as the elderly frog did his taxes.
"And then you add up your deductibles Anne, stuff like student loans, self-employment expenses, educator expenses," Hop Pop droned on. "Oh and guess what Anne, you're a deductible too!"
"Kill me," Anne groaned.
Back in the present, Anne shuddered at the memory.
"Which is why I'm telling you that he's on the level." Anne emphasized the point to Bog, hoping to get him to understand. "Even when they raised the taxes he still paid them in full."
"Look, Anne, the tower didn't get any money this year." Bog was starting to lose his patience. "If it's not here, then where is it?!"
Sprig and Ivy followed Toadstool and Toadie back to the town square where the statue of the mayor had been erected. The two young frogs watched as the mayor and his right-hand frog snuck between the covers that surrounded the statue.
"This is kinda fun, isn't it?" Ivy whispered.
"Yeah, but let's say how fun it is after this," Sprig replied.
They slithered quietly and snuck inside the tent that covered the statue. They gasped as they watched the scene before them.
The statue had a secret compartment where Toadstool's butt was supposed to be. It was open and was being used as a large piggy bank where Toadstool and Toadie were dropping sacks full of coppers. But they weren't just any coppers, they were the inflated taxes that Toadstool had demanded and never once planned on handing over to the tower.
"It's brilliant Toadie, we inflate the taxes and then we pocket the rest while hiding it right under these idiot's noses," Toadstool laughed as he saw his own statue filled up with gold like a piñata with candy. "Rich street here I go."
"Brilliant, sir. "Toadie groaned, lifting up one more bag of coppers into the statue.
One of the coins fell out, only to be caught by the kids.
"That's the town's taxes, you son of a sea slug!" Sprig accused.
"That's why those toads have been wrecking everyone's places!" Ivy added.
"We're telling everyone, Taodstool!" Sprig added.
"Well, in that case, GET THEM TOADIE!" Toadstool screamed.
Toadie jumped at the two kids.
Ivy pulled out a stick and struck Toadie in the head, leaving a big bump on his head.
"Let's go, Ivy!" Sprig and Ivy ran out of the ten with Toadstool and Toadie following right behind them.
"Okay, now what?!" Ivy asked as they hopped quickly through the swamp.
"We need to get to Randy!" Sprig jumped from one branch onto the other. "He'll know what to do! I just hope nothing big is happening on his end!"
Back at the Plantar farm, tensions ran hot as Anne tried to stop the toads from taking anything from the Plantars. But they were done listening or waiting for an explanation.
"Enough waiting, let's get on with this!" Bog gripped his hammer tightly.
"Ooh, how about that snail?" Mire pointed to Bessie.
"Nice!" Bog agreed.
"No!" Hop Pop cried out.
"Keep your hands off of her!" Polly demanded.
"Okay, that's enough of those frogs. Mire, Pond, get rid of them!" Bog snapped his fingers.
Anne saw this and couldn't stand by any longer. The blindfold fell off of her eyes. These guys weren't respected, they were feared. They were bullies. She grabbed the badge, seeing what Randy meant. It was just a meaningless piece of metal.
"No!" Anne snapped, tearing it off of her armor.
"Huh?" Bog looked at Anne as she ran to stand next to Hop Pop and Polly.
"I'm not going to stand by and let you terrorize these frogs! Yeah, they were crummy to me, but that's no excuse to be horrible to them!" Anne tossed the badge away. "You heard the frog, get out of our land!" Anne stood firm with Hop Pop and Polly.
Bog growled. If there was one thing a bully didn't like, it was when someone stood up to them.
Mire wasted no time pushing Anne down to the mud as Pond grabbed Hop Pop and Polly.
"Too bad you decided to show a spine now, Anne." Bog stood before Anne with his hammer in hand as Mire held her in place with her heavy foot. "Guess I'll have to beat it out of you."
Bog was about to swing his hammer but he was stopped mid-swing by a red scarf wrapping itself around it.
"Huh?" Bog looked up.
The scarf pulled the hammer back, hitting Bog in the face. Bog tried to pull it off but the scarf pulled the hammer once more, hitting him again and again.
"What's this trickery?!" Bog swung his hammer hard.
Anne slid under Mire's foot, using the mud.
The hammer slammed on Mire's foot, making her scream in pain.
Randy sprung from the bushes he was hiding in. His feet slammed straight into the back of Bog's head. The big horned toad crashed into Mire as Randy swung his scarf into Pond's big head. He pulled himself towards the toad, kneeling him in the chest like a bullet being shot from a cannon.
Hop Pop and Polly fell down free from the toad's hold.
Anne picked herself up just in time for Randy to offer her a hand.
"Knew you'd make the right choice." Randy helped her up.
"Where the heck were you, dude?! I was about to get my head caved in!" Anne snapped.
"Hey, a hero has to make a dramatic entrance at the last second," Randy argued. "Besides, I knew you'd figure something out. Ready to teach these bullies a lesson?" Randy unsheathed his sword as the toads got back up.
"Thought you'd never ask." Anne pulled out her racket and her own sword.
The frogs of Wartwood gathered around to see what was going on. The two strange creatures were standing up to the toads. Nothing like this had ever happened before in their lifetime. But it was taking place before their eyes at that very moment.
Bog and the toads charged at Randy and Anne, filled with a berserker rage. They screamed like wild animals as they attacked.
Randy and Anne jumped in to meet the three toads. They dodged and weaved around their attacks. Their weapons were heavier and thus slower than the Mystic Warrior-in-training and the rookie warrior.
Randy side stepped Bog's hammer, slamming the butt of his sword on the side of his face. He ducked under another swing of the hammer. Randy's leg swept under Bog's bulky build, hitting him right behind the knee, bringing him down to the mud. He jumped over Pond's massive build, planting his feet on the toad's back. The big toad fell down to the mud only to push himself back up. But Randy was not impressed.
Anne blocked and parried Mire's large club like a seasoned warrior. Though the mud wasn't helping. It was slippery but she managed to keep at it. She spun around Mire, trying to hit her with her racket again. But Mire blocked her with her club before, grabbing her by the uniform and tossing her back down to the mud. Anne rolled out of the way of Mire's foot. She got back up, knocking the toad's weapon out of her hand.
Bog noticed how bad the fight was turning. He turned to the cart with a sinister smile on his face.
"This fits an emergency!" Bog shot out his tongue, pulling out something from it.
Randy kicked Mire out of the way as Anne swatted Pond in the face with her racket.
"How you doing, Anne?" Randy asked.
"I think I'm getting better at this fighting thing," Anne replied.
Just then, they were both knocked back by a powerful gust of sharp wind. It cut them like lots of daggers had been thrown their way. The cuts stung like those of a paper cut, burning them as they tried to get back up. But the cuts had managed to break the skin and blood was coming out of their injuries. Yet the tiny cuts weren't the worst they got. Anne got a nasty cut on her arm while Randy had a wound on his right shoulder and left leg as their worst wounds. They looked up to see Bog holding up a purple colored cleaver-like sword in his hands.
"Ha ha! This thing always makes my day!" Bog cackled at the sight of the weapon.
"What the heck is that?!" Anne screamed as Bog swung his cleaver down once more.
Randy grabbed Anne, pulling her out of the way as the swing generated another cutting wave.
They watched the wave cut through the field like it was nothing. But they didn't have a moment to breathe. Bog swung the cleaver over and over, sending cleaving waves of purple energy towards them. The attacks sliced the wind itself and cut through wood and ground alike, leaving Randy and Anne little choice but to keep on moving.
"Is that a mystic weapon like your sword?" Anne asked as they ran away from Bog's incoming attacks.
"No, I don't think so. He's just swinging it around," Randy commented, ducking under another swing of Bog's cleaver. "It's brutal and has no finesse, but aside from that there's no technique. I think that weapon is something else." Randy and Anne were cut off, forcing them to abruptly stop mid-run.
"I just love these Cursed Weapons," Bog laughed. "All the power of a yokai and none of the hassle!" He swung the cleaver at them once more, like a little kid playing with a stick not knowing it was a deadly weapon.
Randy looked down at his sword and then at Bog.
"I need to get that thing away from him and end this," Randy said, gripping his sword tightly. "But there's too much distance between us.
Anne's eyes widened as she smiled.
"Then I'll give you a distraction. Hey, Bog! You smell like black waters mixed with skunk!" Anne jumped back to her feet, running in the opposite direction.
"Oh, oh you'll pay for that, Anne!" Bog swung his cleaver at Anne.
Randy didn't like it, but that was his opening. His muscles tensed. Ignoring the pain of his wounds, he breathed in. He sprung into action, feeling his sword light up with mystic fire. Running straight at Bog, his sword cut through the storm like a beacon of light, a torch in the night. Kicking up the mud and the dirt around him, he ran quickly through the destroyed field with the fire trailing behind him like a river of fire. His lungs filled up with fire, feeling the power of the mystic flames of his sword flowing through him.
"What in the name of Barrel is that?!" Bog cried out in terror at the sight of a fire river coming towards him. "Get away from me!"
Bog swung his cleaver at Randy in a panic. Randy dodged the attack, jumping to the right. Bog whirled his cleaver once more, only this time Randy swung his own sword against it. His fire sword met the cursed wind attack, feeling like he had clashed with another blade. But he kept on going. Randy's fire swing was stronger, giving the fire the rough outline of a dragon's head.
Randy felt the energy and his breathing matching. The power of the sword was flowing within him. His soul was ignited, burning through him like a river of flames. His eyes glared through the darkness straight at Bog.
Bog's heart filled with fear as Randy cut the distance between them with ease. The toad soldier continued swinging his Cursed Weapon in a frantic state, trying to cut Randy down to size.
As the sharp cursed winds flew at him like thrown swords, Randy pushed through. Jumping over or blocking the attacks with his own sword swings, gaining more and more power with each clash. His flames grew hotter and stronger, making the rogue outline of a whole dragon as he fought. Gritting his teeth, he pushed through the cuts his body had received until he appeared face to face against Bog.
"Norushi Style!" Randy called out as his sword erupted in flames and the dragon's silhouette roared behind him. "Flowing Fire Dragon!" Randy swung his sword at Bog's arm, cutting it clean off along with the cleaver he had been using.
Bog screamed in shock and pain as his arm was scorched off and was left without a weapon. He tried to grab hold of the weapon, but Randy stood before him, his sword still lit up and ready to fight.
"Don't even try it," Randy said.
"Drop it, creature!"
Randy turned his eyes to see Mire holding Anne with a dagger to her throat. And not only that, Pond had Hop Pop and Polly caught as well.
"I said, drop it!" Mire demanded.
Randy was about to attack them only for a rock to hit Mire right in the eye.
"Ambush!" Ivy jumped down, slamming her stick on top of the big toad's head, freeing Anne.
"Leave them alone!" Sprig hopped down next to Ivy. "You wanna pick on someone, you're gonna have to pick on all of us!"
Sprig wasn't kidding. The rest of Wartwood showed up like an angry mob armed with pitchforks and what few weapons they'd had in hand.
"You mess with our Anne, you deal with all of us!" Wally cried out.
All the frogs that Anne had shown kindness to had arrived and were ready to throw down with the toads.
The toads were outnumbered and defeated. Pond's helmet opened up revealing a small kid-like face that cried in terror at the sight of the mob.
"This will not stand, we're just doing our job!" Bog snapped in a last attempt to control the situation. "You kill us and the whole tower will come down on you for holding back on your taxes!"
"About that," Sprig began just in time for Toadstool to arrive, panting and sweating like a pig. "He's got your taxes!"
A short while later, the whole town and the toads were next to the statue Toadstool had set up.
"If you wouldn't mind?" Sprig gestured to the statue.
Bog growled, looking at the stump his arm used to be.
"Oh right, um, Randy?" Sprig asked his friend.
"Gladly." Randy sliced the statue in half, letting the coppers of the missing taxes fall out like candy from a piñata. "I believe you'll find your taxes there, Bog."
Bog couldn't help but growl at Toadstool like the rest of the Wartwood residents.
"Now, now, fellas, I needed that money for you guys." Toadstool walked back as the frogs circled him. "How else was I supposed to buy your cooperation in the next election?"
The frogs pulled out tomatoes and other rotten food as a response to Toadstool's words.
"A-A-And as Mayor, I give myself a pardon! Goodbye!" Toadstool ran away as the frogs started throwing the food at him.
After getting the coppers, the toads were forced to return everything that they had taken.
Anne, Randy and the Plantars helped load off all the stuff, giving it back to their original owners.
"Well, if you wanted respect, you certainly lost mine." Bog passed Anne, growling as he got back on the cart. "We'll be back, Anne. No one stands up to the Tower and gets away with it."
"Since you're already talking to your leader, tell him we expect a refund," Randy said.
"WHAT?!" Bog snapped.
"Toadstool raised up the taxes all so that he could keep all the money for himself," Randy explained. "So you guys are taking three years worth of taxes plus this year's. Meaning, you can either give these fine law abiding citizens their money back or go three years without taxes. Your choice." Randy grabbed his sword, reminding Bog that he could've gone for his head.
Bog and the toads didn't say anything and instead rolled out of the town, throwing the two strange creatures one last nasty look before leaving.
"And she don't need your respect!" Wally added. "She's got ours."
The rest of the town agreed with Wally's sentiment as the toads left the town in disgrace.
"Thanks guys," Anne said. "I appreciate you guys having my back."
"Don't mention it, Anne. You earned the respect of everyone here sticking to your principles," Hop Pop said.
"You showed yourself to be a good person, Anne," Randy said. "And I'd happily have you by my side any day."
Anne felt a warmth in her heart. Doing the right thing even if it was hard felt good at the end of the day.
"Thanks, Randy. You're also an awesome guy." Anne kissed him on the cheek, causing them both to blush. "So, who wants to sign my caste?" Anne asked.
Everyone clamored around Anne with pens and bushes to sign her caste. Things were looking up.
Far away from earshot, the three toads grumbled, stewing in their defeat. Sure they got the taxes, but the whole town stood up to them, they had lost the Cursed Weapon and Bog's arm had been cut off! This had never happened. And now they had to face the music with their leader.
"So, are we really gonna tell Captain Grime everything?" Mire asked.
"Oh yes, we're telling him everything." Bog was hoping that it would lead to bloody vengeance on the strange creatures.
Dangers in the Valley Arc Begins…