Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Far, far, away from Wartwood.

It was a pleasantly nice afternoon in Frog Valley, Amphibia. Honestly, it wasn’t a pleasant evening, given that it was gray and raining outside at the time. Most amphibians would like to either enjoy the rain or listen to its soothing sound, as well as protect their houses by ensuring that nothing is leaking from the rooftops.

But since some of the rain is pounding hard outside, everyone has no choice but to stay dry and keep themselves occupied inside. In this case, one of the many amphibian species that were staying inside from the rain was none other than… the toads.

And not just any toads, the Toads of the South Tower, also known as The Toad Tower.

Right now, mostly all of the toads are in the meeting room, where the inside is kind of like a lecture hall in a university. Most of them were soldiers, some of them were prison guards, some of them were from the garrison. And some of them are also tax collectors. As they were talking amongst themselves, as well as hanging out in the same room altogether, they were also waiting for something important… like a small announcement.

One of the toads who were talking to his friends then spotted the door being opened. He immediately and quietly shushes his friends. “Shh… someone’s coming!”, he said.

A toad then walks into the room with a sword in hand. Some of the remaining toads, who were sitting on chairs, immediately became quiet as they saw the specific toad.

The amphibian with the sword in his hand was a green toad with a large, muscular build. His left eye glows light green, while his right eye is pale blue, dull, and marked with a pink scar. While both of his eyes do not have visible pupils, he does possess sharp teeth. He even wears brown metal armor and a dark mauve-colored cape. In case you don’t know what mauve is, it’s a pale shade of purple/violet. He has a serious look on his face.

The toad is none other than the Captain of the Toad Army garrison, and the lord of the South Toad Tower himself… Captain Grime.

Some of the toads quietly said to themselves (and to their friends), “Oh, my frog. It’s Captain Grime? Captain Grime’s here? Captain Grime?!”

The captain then walked up to the wooden lectern. He placed his sword on the side of the lectern.

“At ease”, he said.

His voice was gruff and deep. He even has an Austrian accent.

The toads then looked at Captain Grime as he placed his hands on the lectern. He clears his throat.

“Now… I have heard and known that all of you have gotten soft over the last few weeks”, he said, his voice projecting across the whole meeting room.

Some of the toads scoffed and started to become defensive. Some of them said, “What? Noooo.”

Grime then sighs again as he keeps his serious demeanor. “Ok… do you even know why I called you here today?”

One of the toads raised his hand and meekly chimed in. “Uh… because we did pretty good?”

Grime responded. “No… it’s not that. It’s…” Then another toad interrupted him. She raised her hand as well.

“Is it because we’re not practicing enough, or because we kinda had an off day?”, another toad said.

Grime responded again, as he was keeping himself under control. “Well… something like that, but, no. It’s not…”

Then, another toad interrupted him. “Is it because we never clean our weapons often? Because we always clean them sometimes.”

And then another. “No, I think it’s because we haven’t been eating much in the mess hall.”

And then… another. “No, no, no. Perhaps we haven’t paid attention to our attacks now and then.”

Next thing you know, every toad in the tower was talking among themselves once again about why they had gotten soft. Captain Grime, who was not the type of person who keeps things under control, was becoming frustrated by the minute… usually because every other toad kept interrupting him in this whole meeting.

The captain begins to let out a loud growl (or in this case, a croak) to get all… yes, all… of the toads to be quiet instantly. Surprisingly, it worked.

Grime clears his throat and yells out to the toads, “No! It’s not all of that, you cretins!”

The captain then composes himself as he takes a deep breath in and out.

“The reason that I have gathered you all here is because all of you have gotten a lot… rusty”, he said. “On account of what I’ve just seen for the past few weeks, some of the amphibians in this valley have gotten unruly. Indocile. Disobedient. And they are defying our authority. We need to get ourselves under control this time around.”

The toads were listening intently as Grime kept talking. As he continued, he then picked up the sword. He then stepped off the podium and walked to the center of the room, facing the toads. “To keep you all on your toes, I want warriors who are ferocious. Warriors who are devious. Warriors who are cold-blooded. And most of all… warriors who are bloodthirsty monsters!”

His voice was filled with anger and demand. He hits his sword on the ground as it lets out a loud clang. Some of the toads recoiled at the sound, as well as Grime’s booming voice. And some of the toads let out a silent, nervous gulp, as well as some nervous croaks.

“Now, then… I’m sure that all of you know and understand what I am saying. Is that correct?”, he asked.

All of the toads frantically nodded their heads, somehow feeling intimidated by the captain. He then went back on the podium and walked to the lectern as he was talking.

“Good”, Grime said. “I expect all of you to improve yourselves, let alone getting all of your acts together, and on check.”

He then puts his sword back on his sword sheath, which is strapped and located on his back. He placed his hands on the lectern once again.

“Dismissed”, he said in a low tone.

All of the toads in the tower then stood up from their chairs and left the room. Some left in an instant while others left at a normal pace. They then talk amongst themselves once again. Grime then rubbed his forehead in slight irritation.

“Hey, uh… captain?”, one of the toads said to Grime. One was a male voice.

Grime’s eyes lit up. He looks to the side to see two toads talking to him.

One is a light green toad who wore a jester’s hat. He also has small green spots along the side of his body, a lighter underbelly, and wears brown armor with leather armbands.

His name is Percy.

Another one is a light purple toad with blonde hair tied back into a bun, and she wore leather armbands and also wore brown armor. She also has violet-shaded spots dotted across her cheeks and a light yellow underbelly.

Her name is Braddock.

Grime’s expression was a bit annoyed but at the very least a tad bit relieved. Normally because he kind of knows them the most.

“Oh, it’s just you two”, he said, much to his chagrin. “What do you want?”

“Uh, you feelin’ okay, captain. You seem like you are in a bit of a rut”, said Braddock. “Well, not the good kind of rut, of course.”

Grime sighed, and he responded. “Rut? What is this ‘rut’ that you speak of?”

“Well, you know… it’s when you’re having a problem”, Percy said, explaining the ‘rut’ thing to the captain.

“Oh, trust me. I’ve got way more problems to handle and to deal with while running this tower and keeping this whole army in check”, Grime said in a low tone. “I’ve already got one of my soldiers wearing his breastplate as his pants.”

Braddock was a bit confused as she tilted her head a little, while Percy chuckled a little. “That’s kind of a good idea”, he said. Grime then grumbled under his breath out of discontent as he darted his eyes away.

“Ok, captain. So you think that the army is getting soft. That doesn’t mean that they are letting you down on purpose. They’re just off their game, that’s all”, said Braddock, reassuring the grumpy captain.

“In what way do you think that they are letting mean down on purpose?”, Grime asked in a low tone.

“I mean… they are struggling a little”, Percy chimed in.

Then Braddock as well. “And they are starting to get uneasy.”

“And they have been taking things easy after lots of sparring.”

“And they sometimes get scared of what or who’s going to attack the tower next.”

“Yeah, and there’s your aaaaaaaaaaa–”

Percy then stopped midway as he tried to think of a way to save himself from angering Grime a bit more.

“–aaaaaaaaattention to detail with your army, sir. Heh, heh.” Percy laughed awkwardly.

Braddock then patted Percy on the back. “Nice save…”, she said in a low tone.

“Ok, I heard enough. I get it”, Grime said, feeling piqued.

Despite Grime listening to Percy and Braddock’s claims on how his army might be letting him down, he gets little insight out of them. But seeing how compassionate and friendly these two specific toads were…he had no choice but to begrudgingly set his vexed tone down. It’s weirdly sweet, but kind of a bit sickening.

“Look, it’s just that some of us have been a little on edge. What with the herons and all, and how are you leading the army? No offense on that part, captain”, said Braddock as she laughed awkwardly a bit and cleared her throat.

In all sincerity, none taken… Grime thought to himself.

“If it makes you feel any better, we listen to you sometimes… and we do practice sometimes. At least it counts for something”, said Percy.

“And we don’t think that you’re being brash or anything. You’re just doing whatever feels right for you, that’s all”, said Braddock.

Grime then sighs a bit.

“As much as I do begin to appreciate your regard, we all know that I have a lot of time on my hands, as well as some problems I’m handling”, Grime responded.

The captain then turned his whole body to the two toads and crossed his arms. His expression was firm and slightly incensed. “Right now, we somehow got to focus on the heron problem, as it seems that they keep approaching the tower recently.”

“You’re telling me. One time, one of them kind of attacked me and swallowed up my hat. It’s honestly my favorite hat”, Percy said as he pointed at his jester hat at the top of his head. “This one I’m wearing is my second favorite by the way.”

“And it did take some of our food supply. We had to survive off beetle jerky. My teeth kinda hurt while chewing too hard”, Braddock chimed in.

Grime then walked to both Percy and Braddock. His firm expression slowly faded down. He still maintained his serious expression. “No need to worry. We’ll figure out some way to fight off the herons, and to protect what’s important in this tower. But for now, we should all get some rest. Seems like life has hit us with enough issues for another day.”

Percy and Braddock looked at each other, then looked at their captain with reluctant expressions on their faces.

A few hours passed. And suddenly, it was evening. It was still raining, but at least it wasn’t pounding as hard as it did before. And it was almost nighttime.

While all of them were either about to get their rest or just practicing their sparring, etc., Grime on the other hand was in his quarters, sitting at his desk and sharpening his sword. He had an expression that was deep in thought and filled with bits of discontent.

As he sharpened his weapon, he also had thoughts in his mind as he heard the sharpening stone sliding the sword with each stroke. Personal thoughts that involved the tower, the army… even a bit of himself. But he’s normally not the type of guy, or in this case, a toad, to talk about problems.

He stopped sharpening his sword midway as he looked at it. He exasperatedly sighs through his (not seen) nose and lets out a quietly low, “Damn it…”

The captain thought to himself, “…How am I going to handle this…?”

As Grime was in a state of pensiveness, little did he know and realize that he heard a faint noise coming from inside the tower. He somehow felt a little puzzled, but he shrugged it off and continued trying to sharpen his sword with the sharpening stone once again. Then the faint noise became a bit louder, and instead of pretending that it was not a big deal, he silently confused and became irritated.

He grumbled a bit as he set the sharpening stone on his desk, and stood up from his chair. “...For frog’s sake… what is making that irksome sound?”, the captain said to himself, annoyed.

Grime then opened the door and walked out of his quarters, gripping his sword in hand. While walking in the hallway, he accidentally bumped into someone.

The amphibian is not an ordinary toad like the others in the tower; he is a frog in his mid-20s. He is short, small, and shaped like a pill capsule. His skin is light turquoise, with a lighter underbelly, and he has short, messy dark brown hair. He wears a button-up collar shirt in a lighter shade of blue with a diamond grid pattern, paired with dark gray pants.

His name is Bron.

Believe it or not, he resides and works in the tower as a researcher and an analyst, but at least he is willing and able to fight like the toads.

“Oof!”, Bron said as he stumbled backwards a little. He then steadies himself and looks at the captain. “Oh, sorry, Captain Grime. Didn’t see you there.”

Bron laughed awkwardly a bit while Grime sighed. He had a bit of a choleric expression and tone. “…Bron… what are you doing here?”

“Well, I just thought I’d come and talk to you about the conditions around the tower… as well as… checking in on you to see how you are doing…”, Bron responded, then he cleared his throat instantly to avoid the minor nervous silence after those complete sentences.

The frog continued. “But then I kind of heard a weird noise that came from further down inside and thought I’d go check it out to see what it is… I’m guessing that you heard the noise, too?”

Grime looks down at Bron with his arms crossed with a stern expression, knowing that he is not in a bit of the mood for a conversation. “Well, I did hear a noise. But at least that’s nothing I can’t handle.”

The captain then glances around the tower, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Besides, there shouldn’t be anything down there.”

Bron responded. He somehow had a bit of a casual tone. “Well, that’s what I thought, too. I don’t know if it’s the herons, or the thunder, or just one of the toads knocking something down… but I do feel like it’s not going to be pretty though, and the big amphibian has seen some not-pretty stuff, I’ll tell you that.”

Grime then looks back at Bron, his eyes still narrowed as he studies the short frog’s behavior before he speaks again.

“Hmm… Well, it seems we only have different and common reasons for this, but if you insist on checking what’s causing it, then come with me.”

Grime then walks past Bron, then the latter follows the former.

“But just stay behind me, and say nothing”, Grime continued in a serious, stern tone. “Wouldn’t want you to get attacked and wounded.”

Bron responded, a bit jokingly, as he followed the toad captain. “Your wish is my command, my liege.”

Grime grunted in response, ignoring the frog’s comment as he walked forward, with his hands gripping his sword. His toad muscles were starting to get a bit tense. Bron, on the other hand, tries not to worry about it, even though he feels a bit scared inside.

As it is still raining outside, there was also a different problem that was about to arise inside the Toad Tower… a few minutes ago.

A mysterious amphibian, wearing a black-colored hooded cloak to shield itself from the rain, ran across Frog Valley and desperately tried to seek shelter at an instant speed. The same amphibian also had two swords that it carried with a dual sword holder on its back. One sword was shiny and dark red while the other one was dark blue.

It didn’t even say anything as it panted from running too much and trying to stay dry from the rain.

As the amphibian ran across Frog Valley, it stopped to catch its breath. The amphibian has been through so much, seeing how it looked wet and disheveled. And it knows that was a long journey that it endured. The amphibian opened his (slightly menacing) eyes and looked to see that the ground had changed. From grass to a concrete-stone pathway.

The amphibian then slowly tilted his head to see the pathway, which led to a certain tower castle made entirely of stone bricks. It looks around to see the tower surrounded by a mountainous region and barren trees, as well as being built atop a rocky cliff. The amphibian then looked up to see… a long red flag placed at the top of the tower.

The amphibian somehow starts to feel a little surprised at how it randomly stumbled at a tower, but seeing how the rain is about to pour hard some more, he has no other choice but to enter the tower to take shelter. It sighed, and then it ran fast to get inside the tower.

It slowly opens the big door and it lets out a slight creaking sound. It didn’t bother that the amphibian tried to be quiet on opening the door, but at least it tried to be mindful and not make any noise. The amphibian then entered inside the tower and closed the door. It catches his breath, but silently.

The amphibian then leaned back onto the closed door and slid down onto the floor as it took a deep breath. It then sits on the floor, and it uncovers the hooded part of the damp, wet, black cloak to reveal… the head of a toad. A male toad, to be exact.

Given his face, the unknown toad looks like he has the same age as Grime. He’s a dark olive-greenish-brown toad and has a lighter underbelly. He also has long, shoulder-length, black-ish gray hair that is a bit messy.

The unknown toad glanced around the interior of the Toad Tower as the mixed faint smell of must and light peony lingered in the air. He then ran a hand through his slightly wet hair and pushed it back as some droplets of rainwater fell onto the glossy stone floor. He sighed as heard the muffled hard rain behind the door.

“Hm…”, he said to himself. “This damned rain.”

His voice was gruff and had a bit of a 'Chicagoland-type' dialect to it. At least the accent wasn't heavy.

He picks himself up, adjusts his hooded cloak, and scans the whole main floor.

The main floor of the Toad Tower was empty beside the toad himself.

The stone walls were plain, but at least they were covered in torches, giving the room a slight, warm glow. The windows seem clear and weatherproof. The inside of the tower somehow was strangely quiet to be exact, only for the moment to be interrupted by the muffled sounds of the hard rain hitting the windows and the storm outside.

The unknown toad proceeds to walk straight, as he silently inspects the main interior of the toad tower. His footsteps echoed slightly on the stone floor as he made his way across the room.

“...Huh… no one’s here…?”, he said to himself in a low tone. “Hm… looks like this tower seems empty…”

The toad slowly proceeded to make his way to find a room for him to rest. As he walked, he started to look at some of the random places in the tower.

He looked and went past the mess hall. No toads were here.

Then the sparring room. No toads were here, also.

A few seconds later, he went upstairs at the large spiral staircase and found the rooms on one of the tower's floors. The hallway is like a residence dormitory in here. It’s also lit up in here, but also eerily quiet.

The toad felt uneasy about what he witnessed, knowing that he expected at least a few toads hanging out in the Toad tower. Now it just feels like the castle was deserted at the very least.

“Huh… seems practically vacant…”, he muttered to himself as he looked around.

The toad continued walking, the sound of his armor echoing loudly against the stone walls. However, his footsteps were muffled, as if he were walking on soft ground.

Looking down, he noticed that the floor was covered with beige-colored, cut-pile carpeting. The carpeted floors somehow surprised the toad… but that didn’t stop him from finding an empty room to rest in.

Before he continued his trek in the tower, the toad paused as he heard something coming from the room next to him, with a closed door. He silently approached the door, listening closely for any hint of what he was hearing.

The toad then heard a voice. Two voices, actually.

Braddock finishes setting up the bed, as Percy paced around the room, back and forth and feeling tense. His arms were crossed. The purple-colored toad then looks at the green-colored toad.

“Oh, come on, Perce… you’ve been pacing for a few minutes now”, Braddock said, feeling a bit concerned for him.

Percy sighed. He stopped pacing back and forth and looked at Braddock with a little fraught expression. “Sorry… sorry. I just couldn’t help myself. It’s just that I feel worried, you know?”

Braddock then responded. “Oh, I know…” She then pauses on setting up the bed. “Wait, with what?”

“Uh… the herons?”, Percy said.

“Oh, right. Kinda forgot about them for a moment.” Braddock then grabs the blanket from the bed and proceeds to unfold it.

Percy continued speaking. “Well, not just the herons. It’s just… everyone in this tower. They all just seem…keyed up lately. Guess I’m just sort of worried about them, I don’t know.”

Braddock then spreads the blanket across the bed. “Well, I don’t blame you. I’m worried about them, too. Heck, I’m even more worried about Captain Grime. I mean, I know he wants to keep everything in control, but you heard him. He wants to protect what’s important in this tower. In this case, us.”

Percy then walks to Braddock. “Yeah… I kind of liked the way things were in this tower before. Y’know, without all the herons. And without all of the stuff being almost ran out.”

Braddock thought for a second as she finished making the bed. She smiled for a bit. “...Ah… I think it’ll all be fine.”

Percy maintains his slight despondent expression. “Hey, Braddock?”, he asked.

“Hm?” The purple-colored toad looked at him.

“Do you ever wonder that.. maybe we’re not as devious and bloodthirsty as people think? I mean, Grime expects us to bring our A-game when we’re ready for battle or when we are defending the tower. I know we’ve all gotten a bit soft, and that some of us are meant for different things... and I understand that we don’t want to disappoint him.”

Percy sighed hopelessly and continued. “It’s just... Why are we even together? Are we meant for this at all?”

Braddock listened to Percy’s words and looked at him, feeling downcast. Her eyes softened as she thought about the green toad’s insight and let them sink in.

Technically, Percy isn’t wrong. The toad tower was starting to become uneasy a few weeks ago, but everyone’s life has a price, and not everyone is willing to pay for it. However, in this case, everyone is willing to fight for what is right, as well as come together, not only as an army but gradually as a collective. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t hard either.

Braddock then sat on the bed as she still looked at Percy. She patted the side of the bed and softly said to him, “C’mere, Perce.”

The male toad listened to her and sat beside her. He didn’t look at her.

Braddock continued, her tone becoming soft and compassionate. “You know… honestly… I kind of get what you mean though. I sometimes know what it is like… to be on the same boat as everyone. As well as not being meant for something important… and maybe fun.”

Percy then looked at Braddock as she continued talking, reassuringly. “Sure, we may not be devious and bloodthirsty like you said. And maybe we’re not the cold-hearted army that Captain Grime expects us to be. It’s not about the battles or the bloodshed or anything… but at the end of the day, we always look out for each other.”

The purple toad placed a hand on the green toad, her expression earnest. “We may not be perfect… but we are meant to protect each other and fight together, whether if it’s on the battlefield, or in moments like this. And even if we are not cold-blooded when we might be ready for battle… then we can just be ourselves. Do our own thing.”

Braddock gently caressed Percy’s cheek to offer comfort. “Right now, I’m looking out for you, and you’re looking out for me. We can be ourselves, just as we want to be. And you know, if something bad happens, we have each other to fight and survive together. Right…?”

Percy blushed a bit as he let Braddock’s words sink in, and he felt her hand on his cheek. He began to feel better as he smiled and laughed a little. “Heh… how did I get so lucky to have a girlfriend like you?”, he said, seemingly content.

Braddock also blushed a bit and laughed as well. “Heh, well just being lucky, I guess.” She then proceeded to kiss Percy on the cheek.

After a bit of laughter between the two toads, Percy relaxed. “But, yeah… you’re right. I guess everything will be okay despite what’s happening around the tower,” he said. We still have to deal with the heron problem, though.”

The unknown toad, still eavesdropping on Percy and Braddock’s conversation, softened his expression into a confusing one.

“Herons…?” he thought.

He pondered this for a moment but snapped back to reality. Shaking his head slightly, he silently resolved to find a room to ride out the storm, fully aware that he did not want to get involved.

Just as he was about to move forward, the toad heard a gasp.

“An intruder!” someone yelled.

The unknown toad glanced back to see a frog—Bron—pointing at him. Instantly recoiling, the toad covered his face with the hooded cloak and made a mad dash to escape the toad tower.

Grime, with his sword in hand, ran to Bron. “You see him? Where?”, he said in a demanding tone.

Bron then pointed to the unknown toad running down the hallway. “Over there!”, he responded.

Grime tried to catch the toad, and Bron quickly followed him as they dashed past Percy and Braddock's room. However, Bron suddenly halted when he saw Braddock opening the door, with Percy peeking from behind her.

“What’s going on? We heard shouting”, Braddock said to Bron.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Someone is breaking inside the tower!”, the frog responded to the two toads.

“What?”, Percy and Braddock said in surprised unison.

“Yeah, I know, it’s surprising! I’ll explain along the way but right now Grime is catching up to them and we need to help them catch this stranger”, Bron continued.

Percy and Braddock then ran out of their room and followed Bron, following Grime’s trail to catch the anonymous toad.

The hooded toad ran past the rooms as Grime made haste behind him. The latter, still having his sword in hand, followed the hooded toad. The fire inside Grime lit up as his adrenaline started pumping through his cold-blooded veins.

The captain sees the hooded toad passing through the intruder alarm. His eyes darted at the alarm for a moment. He used his fist to press the alarm button for a split second as he ran.

A siren was let out all over the toad tower, which caused all of the toads to either wake up or stop what they were about to do. All of them

As the chase continued, the hooded toad then made its way to the stairs. He ran downstairs without tripping. Grime, on the other hand, stopped in his tracks when he made it to the stairs. He saw the hooded toad going down the spiral staircase. He gritted his teeth and growled in anger. He looks for other ways to get down to subdue the unknown toad faster. His expression changed when he saw the wall beside him, inches away.

With a determined and serious look on his face, Grime leaped toward the wall and stopped his fall with his sword. The sword caused friction on the wall, and the captain landed on the stone floor on his feet, leading him to the main floor where the entrance was. He ran to the center of the main floor with a sword-fighting stance, waiting for the hooded toad.

The hooded toad made it to the entrance but stopped when he saw Grime.

Grime smirked, knowing that he was not letting the hooded toad leave scot-free.

“Now I got you”, he said, in a low tone.

The hooded toad then bowed his head, but knowing that he was not giving up without a fight, he pulled his two swords out of the dual sword holder behind his back. He faced Grime but with a serious, menacing expression.

Grime was surprised at how the toad had two swords under his possession. His eyes widened a bit, then he groaned a bit.

“Oh, frog me…”, Grime said to himself, annoyed.

The hooded toad then lunged towards Grime. His dual swords moved in a blur. Grime then quickly blocked the attack with his sword as he gritted his teeth and grunted in frustration. Besides becoming surprised, the captain was a seasoned warrior and was known for his strength, combat skills, and durability. And luckily… he was not going to go down without a fight.

Grime pushed the hooded toad back with his sword, ignoring the sudden jolt of pain through his body due to the impact of the sword. The two toads continued the duel with Grime lunging toward the unknown toad. He lets out a battle cry. The unknown toad then also lunged again as well.

There were no details to describe, but the sword duel between them was finally starting to heat up.

As the two toads sparred and dueled each other, Bron, Percy, and Braddock made their way downstairs and finally caught up to them with surprised expressions on their face. The three witnessed the sword fight between Grime and the hooded toad.

“That’s the intruder?”, Percy curiously and shockingly asked Bron as he pointed at the hooded toad.

“I think so…”, Bron responded. “...I mean, I saw its head for only a split second.”

Grime and the hooded toad exchanged blow after blow with their swords, the sound of clashing metal echoing throughout their duel. The captain’s expression was fierce and focused as he locked eyes on his opponent. He swung his sword several times with great force, pushing the hooded toad back with each strike.

Suddenly, the hooded toad gained the upper hand.

As toads gathered at the main entrance to witness the fight, donned in their battle armor and armed with guard weapons, the hooded toad threw both of his swords to disarm the captain.

Grime managed to dodge the first sword but was unable to evade the second one. While he was not harmed, it sent his sword flying out of his hands and landed on the floor. The captain stumbled back and fell on the floor, landing on his back, as well as feeling shocked and angry at being unarmed.

Bron, Percy, and Braddock rushed to Grime’s side, and the four of them glared at the hooded toad. The hooded toad retrieved his swords from the floor, secured them in the dual sword holder on his back, and attempted to make a break for it. However, as he opened the door, he was met with the sight of toad guards pointing their spears at him.

Realizing he was trapped, the hooded toad slowly surrendered by raising his hands while quietly growling at the guards.

Grime looked at the surrendered toad, then at the toad guards who subdued him.

“Captain, are you alright?”, Braddock asked. She then helped Grime up. Percy and Bron got up on their feet as well.

“Yeah… I’m fine”, Grime said as he looked at Braddock, then Percy and Bron. Then the captain looked at the hooded toad. This time, he had his hands behind his back. The toad guards are behind him, and one of them arrests him. Another one of the toad guards held the hooded toad’s sword holder.

One of the toad guards asked Grime. “What do you want to do with the intruder, boss? Should we send him to the pain room?”

Having a serious and angry expression on his face, Grime eyed the hooded toad once more. However, he knew he couldn’t stay angry forever. Grime had his suspicions about the hooded toad, and if he was determined to uncover what the toad was doing in the tower in the first place, that was exactly what he intended to do.

With a deep sigh, the captain spoke in a low, commanding tone. “There will be no torture today. Take the intruder to the dungeon. We might need some answers from them.”

The toad guards nodded in agreement. They seized the hooded toad and led him upstairs to the dungeon.

One guard, who held the intruder’s sword holder containing two swords, approached Grime and offered them to him. “I think you might need these, boss. That intruder wasn’t playing around.”

As the guard handed Grime the two swords and then rejoined the other guards, the remaining toads witnessed the entire moment. Grime scanned the faces of everyone who had observed the fight and the arrest of the hooded toad.

“Everyone go to your rooms. We will discuss this whole incident in the morning”, Grime said, in a serious tone. “Dismissed.”

The robust amphibians, in different sizes, shapes, and colors, listened to the captain and walked back into their rooms in silence. Even though some were talking a bit.

Grime, Percy, Braddock, and Bron looked at everyone walking back to their rooms. The captain let out a heavy sigh after that.

“Uh… may I see that?”, Bron asked, pointing at the swords in the dual sword holder that Grime was holding. “Just to examine.”

Grime looked at Bron and handed him the sword holder. “Feel free… I was going to hand it to you, anyways”, he responded.

Percy noticed Grime’s serious and somewhat a bit exhausted demeanor and began to ask a question to him. “Huh… you don’t seem too glad after the fight, captain. Do you wanna talk about it?”

Grime proceeded to look for his sword as he heard Percy’s question. Luckily, his sword was behind him on the floor.

“I appreciate your concern, Percy, and it’s nothing that you and the others need to worry about. I may be glad that we subdued the intruder. But I am kind of unclear on why he was here in the first place. At least the guards were lucky to stop him”, he said, his expression still serious.

Braddock chimed in. “Well, you know… we’re always unclear about random stuff happening in the tower. Sort of like the monster-of-the-week type thing, but we handled these things before, right? Plus, what are you going to do with the intruder anyway now that they’re in the dungeon?”

Grime glared at his sword, then he turned to the three amphibians. “Well, I don’t believe that he was just exploring the tower. I’ll have to question him and find out what he was doing here and why just to be sure.”

“And the ‘where’… don’t forget the ‘where’”, said Bron. “Like, where is that guy from… something like that.”

Percy and Braddock nodded in agreement.

“Uh… yes, that”, said Grime. “We’ll figure and sort this out in the morning.”

The captain looked at Bron. “Bron, you have both swords. And they are not like their weapons. See what you can find where they came from.”

Bron gave out a single nod to Grime. Then Grime looked to Percy and Braddock. “You two. You don’t have to do this task now, but you may need to try to keep an eye on the intruder.”

“Keeping an eye on someone is our specialty”, Percy said as he let out an awkward laugh.

Braddock then wrapped her arm around Percy’s shoulder, as a sense of comfort. “We’ll do our best, captain”, she said, smiling.

Bron chimed in. “Wait, but what about the others in the tower?”

Grime still maintained his serious expression. “Don’t worry about that. Leave it to me.”

The next day.

It was morning, and all of the toads in the tower—ranging from the army and garrison to guards and soldiers—were seated in the meeting room.

Standing on the podium, Grime faced the assembled amphibians from the lectern.

“My fellow toads,” he began. His voice was strong, unwavering, and confident, and his expression was firm and authoritative.

The captain continued, “Yesterday, as some of you may not know, we had an intruder within our tower.”

A murmur spread through the meeting room.

“At ease,” Grime commanded, and silence fell over the crowd. He paused briefly to ensure he had everyone’s attention before continuing.

“I know this news may be shocking to some of you, but the intruder has successfully captured and been taken directly to the dungeon for interrogation. It is of utmost importance that we gather information from them and understand their true motives and the threat they pose. We must remain vigilant and handle this situation with intelligence and caution, rather than resorting to brute force. Additionally, we must stay observant and continue to safeguard our tower against any further threats. We cannot allow ourselves to become complacent just because we have apprehended the intruder.”

Grime’s eyes scanned the meeting room once more, showing an intense and focused gaze.

“As a result, I want every toad to be on high alert, as well as report any unusual activity immediately. Do not let this intruder slip through your fingers at all costs. The safety of our tower, our people, and our army, are at stake.”

Grime paused once again. This time, he took a moment to take in all of the different expressions of the toads in front of him. He sighed, and he continued.

“...I know that this is a challenging position for some of you… but all of you need to remember… we are toads. We are strong, brave and resilient. And we faced many threats before. But we will not let this threat–this intruder–defeat us. We will find out what their real intentions are… and we will handle it all together. As of right now, we have a tower to protect. Is anyone clear on that?”

All of the toads nodded and murmured in agreement.

“Okay, then. I think all of you know the drill by now”, said Grime. “Dismissed.”

The captain then sees everyone leave the meeting room. Then he looked at Percy and Braddock, who were also leaving the meeting room.

The two specific toads gave both smiles and thumbs up to the captain.

Grime felt a bit uncomfortable at the gestures, but at least they meant well. Even though he planned on interrogating the intruder–the hooded toad from before–he was hoping that it would be worth it.

Meanwhile…

Bron was in his room while all of the toads were having a meeting about the intruder and tower protection.

His room was a bit messy like a scientist’s room, but honestly, that’s just how he likes it. He’s sitting at his desk about to examine the hooded toad’s two swords. He wore a dark black oversized shirt with turquoise shorts, which might constitute his home-wear clothes, as well as his pajamas. He looked at the swords.

“Ok, sword number one and sword number two…”, the frog said. “Let’s see what you’re made out of. Literally.”

Bron decided to take out the one from the left. It was hard to pull one of the swords out since it was placed in the intruder’s dual sword holder and because he’s a short frog in a community full of toads. At least it didn’t stop him.

After a slight struggle, the frog managed to get the sword out of one of the holders.

“Ah-hah!” he said. Then he realized that the sword was kind of heavy. “Woah… okay.”

He managed to place the red sword on his big desk table. Then he struggled and did the exact same thing with the dark blue sword next. “Oh, frog… that’s heavy”, said Bron.

The frog began to examine the two swords side by side. He looked at the blade of the red sword, which was covered in minor scratches and had a hint of black patina corrosion fading toward the tip.

In contrast, the blade of the blue sword was also marked with scratches, but it lacked the patina. Instead, it had specks of blood on it.

Bron felt a mix of curiosity and apprehension as he observed the intruder’s two swords, particularly the blue one, which made him feel a bit scared due to the blood.

“Huh… seems like they had a bit of a rough life…”, the frog thought. “I don’t know whether to clean them or not… but I may need to think about this… these swords are one of a kind, unlike the weapons they have in the tower. And they’re not like from our world as well, which is kind of weird… Where in the world are they even from anyway…?”

Bron then slowly looks from the blade to the handles. The two handles have a darker shade of their respective colors. Then the frog looked at both ends of the swords—the pommels.

The pommel in the red sword has the letter R in the center, while the pommel in the blue sword has the letter O.

Bron said to himself, a bit intrigued. “Huh… this seems… odd. And kind of new…”

It’s been a few minutes, 30 to be specific since Grime had the meeting with the toads about the intruder.

While all of the toads are either finishing or getting their breakfast, doing their jobs in the tower, or practicing sparring together, the captain opens the door to his quarters.

Grime maintained his serious expression as he walked in. He went to his desk, pulled up his polished wooden throne, and sat on it–his arms and fists on the armrests. Then he slouched as he sighed, feeling exasperated. He looked up at the ceiling.

“Frog…”, he muttered out as he closed his eyes.

Seeing how everyone went from one problem to the next was weird and unexpected. It was very tiring, yet very frustrating at the same time. Grime felt he needed to kill two… no… three birds with one stone, but he felt he didn’t know how to manage them.

If he’d begrudgingly wrote a note to the god of Amphibia right now, he would speak what’s on his mind. But he damn well knows that venting is for people who are soft… people who are good-natured and vulnerable.

Deep down, he guesses that he’s just stubborn enough for either a win-win or a lose-lose situation.

Little did he know that while he became deep in his thoughts, he didn’t realize that Percy and Braddock were standing in front of the doorway. However, he did hear Percy’s jingling jester hat.

“Hey, uh… you okay, captain…?”, Percy asked nervously.

Snapped out of his reverie, Grime opened his eyes and looked at the two affable toads. His gaze narrowing slightly at them, he grunted.

“I’m fine”, he grumbled. His tone was dismissive more than any demeanor he might be on at the moment.

He shifted in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “If this is about this ‘rut’ thing, we already discussed it yesterday. But if you’re here to ask about the intruder again, rest assured that we will get answers soon enough.”

There was a moment of silence as Percy and Braddock glanced at each other, then at Grime.

“...You two are not going to leave until I come out with it, aren’t you?”, he asked, a bit annoyed.

“Well, we may be strong and resilient, captain. But at least we tend to look out for and check up on each other”, said Braddock. “Why, is it bad?”

“Well, you might call it bad, considering the fact that I’m supposed to lead an army of toads here…”, Grime said as he slowly looked away.

Then, after a brief pause and a bit of thought, he looked back at Percy and Braddock. He let out a heavy sigh.

“...but if you really want to know… then... I admit it. I’ve been feeling a bit overtaxed lately,” the captain continued, grumbling. “With one crisis after another and the responsibility of leading this tower and protecting our people, it can feel quite immense at times. However, I’m accustomed to it, as I always am.”

Feeling sympathy for Grime, Percy and Braddock approached the desk as they looked at him. Their expressions were sincere, which was kind of weird for Grime.

“Captain… we all had stressful days before, but we know that you don’t have to handle everything on your own”, said Braddock, her tone pleasant. “I mean, just because asking for help or admitting that you’re overwhelmed doesn’t mean that you’re weak.”

Percy chimed in. “Yeah, it’s just that, you’re the strongest toad that we have known since day one, and everyone looks up to you. Even us. Plus, a certain someone once told the toads that ‘even the strongest one among us needs someone to lean on sometimes’.”

Grime was a bit confused. “Who says that?”

“Uh… you did, captain”, Percy responded.

The captain then remembers the exact words he said in the past before. Even the ones who are strong need someone to lean on sometimes.

Grime’s expression softened a little. Then he says something to the two of them that he doesn’t want to admit. “Ugh… you toads are so weird sometimes.”

Percy and Braddock let out a light-hearted chuckle.

“Well, we might be annoying at times, but at least we’re not trying to kill you”, Braddock said.

Grime somehow felt a bit better after that remark. Besides having one problem to the next, and having a group of toads who fight alongside and strangely care about him, it kind of felt surreal to the captain. But at least that’s what makes him stronger.

“Uh… is this a bad time?”, said Bron.

Grime, Percy, and Braddock are surprised, then they look at Bron, who is carrying the dual sword holder with the two swords in place. The captain’s expression shifted. His stern expression somehow returned.

“No, it’s not a ‘bad time’”, Grime responded. “What is it?”

Bron walked into the room as he eyed Grime. “Well, I had time to examine the intruder’s swords. And it turns out that it’s nothing like the swords that you use. These swords somehow come from another valley, and they have a different type of material. Though I would examine even further if these swords weren’t dirty.”

“Wait… dirty how?”, Percy asked.

“Well, one that has some messed up furbish… and one with… bloooo—”

Bron then stops midway as he tries to think of a way to save himself from shocking Percy, even though Grime and Braddock know what the frog is talking about.

“—oooooomato sauce. Tomato sauce. Might be from a giant tomato plant from around our valley.” The frog clears his throat after that.

“Huh… sounds yummy”, Percy said.

Grime’s curiosity somehow piqued, his expression remaining neutral and serious. “Hm… interesting. Was there anything else?”

Bron responded. “Well, besides the different craftsmanship, there were some letters on the bottom of the swords. And R and an O… I don’t know what they are, but that’s all I got so far.

“Well, at least we know that the intruder is not from around here… but what are we supposed to do in the meantime? We still need to find out what it’s doing in the tower”, Braddock said.

Percy, Braddock, and Bron looked back at Grime, awaiting his response.

The captain pondered for a moment on his own. Then, his face lit up, maintaining his serious expression.

“Not we… you”, Grime said.

The three amphibians somehow felt confused about what Grime said.

“I don’t want to start an argument, but I need you to listen carefully. In case you haven’t noticed… the intruder is still in its cell,” Grime said. He then pointed at Percy and Braddock. “And the two of you need to keep an eye on it.”

“Uh… are we supposed to be scared about that?”, Percy asked nervously. “I mean, he came in with a hooded cloak and two swords.”

"Not 'scared,' but cautious about it. That's the truth, and it's why it doesn't belong here," Grime answered firmly. "This is just between us for now. I don't want the army or anyone else in the tower to get involved and come charging in with brute force against the intruder.”

The captain eyed Percy and Braddock. “You two. Make sure you watch the intruder. No matter how long it takes. Got it?”

Percy and Braddock silently gave a single agreeing nod to Grime.

The captain then eyed Bron, who was still holding the swords. “Bron… give the swords to me. I think I’ll try to find a way to clean them in the meantime so you can have a closer look at them.”

Bron then walked to Grime and handed him the swords and the holder altogether. “Huh… well, that’s kind of strange of you for doing this, but sure”, he said.

Grime then placed the dual sword holder on the floor as he continued talking to the three amphibians. “Now, I may be a brash, sharp captain, but I can’t just barge into the dungeon and bombard the intruder with questions in an instant.”

The captain rests his hands on the table. “So until then, when the time is right… I’ll deal with the intruder in an approachable manner. But if it goes wrong and might take a turn for the worse, then we’ll go in a much more different direction.” His tone slowly became menacing halfway.

“Are we understood?”, he asked.

After a bit of silence.

“Sir, yes, sir!”, Percy and Braddock responded and saluted.

“Bron?”, the captain said to the frog.

Bron gave an earnest expression to Grime, knowing that he meant every word he said. He gave a single nod to him.

“Good. Let’s all try to keep it that way”, the captain said. “Dismissed.”

A few minutes later, in the upstairs dungeon.

The unknown hooded toad sat in his cell on the floor, leaning against the wall. One knee was raised, while the other leg lay flat. One hand rested on his knee, while the other was on the floor, palm down. He bowed his head, the shadow of the hooded cloak obscuring his eyes. His expression was neutral yet menacing.

The dungeon room was engulfed in silence until the door creaked open, breaking it.

Percy and Braddock entered the dungeon. Braddock held a spear, while Percy held a plate of cricket legs to give to the intruder. The two toads cautiously approached the cell, and they could see the intruder sitting quietly and unmoving in the far center.

“Hey… so, uh… we brought you some food…uh… Mr. Intruder”, Percy said. He then placed the food on the floor and slid under the gaps of the prison bars, proceeding with caution.

Percy then backed away and hid behind Braddock, who raised her spear and pointed it at the hooded toad in case he did something drastic. She maintained a serious expression.

The hooded toad heard the plate slide on the floor. He then moved his eyes to see the plate of cricket legs on the floor in front of him. But he was not aware of the fact that Braddock pointed a spear at him. He didn’t move for a minute.

Percy and Braddock silently looked at each other, becoming skeptical. Then they both heard the noise of something moving.

It’s the same hooded toad. Still sitting as he eyed the plate of cricket legs, he stood up, walked to the plate, and picked it up with his hands. He then picked up one of the cricket legs. Without sniffing and examining it, he took the first bite of the leg.

Percy and Braddock looked at the hooded toad chewing the cricket legs for the first time. The hooded toad then took a few chews and swallowed. After experiencing the taste of the cricket leg, he somehow showed a gradual reaction.

The hooded toad then somehow chokes up and becomes tearful. Then surprisingly for Percy and Braddock, a tear streaks down his face. Then another tear streaks down as well. He began to start crying softly.

Percy and Braddock were surprised at what they were witnessing. Braddock then lowered her spear down.

“Wait… oh no… do they not like it? Oh, frog…. I made the prisoner cry!”, Percy panicked a little.

Braddock tries to comfort his toad boyfriend. “Hey, hey, it’s okay, Perce”, she said reassuringly. “They’re not from around here. Maybe they’re either getting used to the taste or maybe they’re just trying them for the first time. Or maybe they’re a little confused…”

Braddock turned to the hooded toad, still softly crying. She addressed him gently. “Hey… are you feeling okay?”

The hooded toad made soft, quiet crying noises as it chewed on the cricket leg. Percy and Braddock exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of what to do. After swallowing, the toad sniffed and spoke for the first time in a while, still eyeing the cricket leg from which it had taken a bite.

“I'm sorry,” the hooded toad said softly, He still has his gruff, slightly deep voice and unique midwestern accent.

“I’m… I’m okay”, he continued. " it’s just… it…brings back memories…. “Both… both good… and painful.”

Braddock loosened her grip on her spear. She cautiously steps forward. “Hey… it’s ok… you don’t have to apologize”, she said. “...I’m guessing that it must be hard being away from home.”

“Home…?”, the hooded toad asked as he wiped his tears fully.

Percy cautiously approached the toad as well. “Well… yeah? You know, home? Like our tower. It’s our home. And we live here”, he said, addressing the hooded toad.

The hooded toad, still looking at the cricket legs, lets out a bit of a chuckle. He softened his expression. “Heh… well, the home that I lived in before was full of stuff… stuff that is running on all cylinders, or maybe mad as a meat axe.”

Percy and Braddock were confused about the toad’s unexpected comment, given by his accent.

“Uh… mad as a meat axe?”, Percy asked.

“Running on all cylinders...?”, Braddock asked, her brow furrowing. “What are you talking about exactly?”

The hooded toad’s expression lit up a bit confused. He slowly looked at the two toads, revealing his face to them. Percy and Braddock were silently surprised as they widened their eyes for an instant by watching the hooded toad’s face.

“Well, you know… crazy? Plain nuts? Right off the head? Out in the left field? Insane and foolish?”, the hooded toad responded.

A beat of silence clouded the dungeon room. Percy and Braddock were left bewildered at the hooded toad’s weird sayings and surprised by his face. The toad was left confused as he furrowed a brow.

“Hm… guessing you’re not from around here from where I’m from, huh?”, the toad asked.

Braddock then shook her head, snapping out of her confusion and bringing herself to reality. Percy then looked at her. “Uh… sorry… we don’t get what you’re saying, um…”

Percy then placed a hand on Braddock’s shoulder. “Ok, um…why don’t we take a step back…” he nervously said, trying to clear the air and restart the conversation. “Uh… who are you… intruder?”

The hooded toad let out a soft chuckle after seemingly becoming a bit amused by the duo’s confusion.

“Yeah… we aren’t from the same place”, he said with a shrug. “Well, seems like a certain introduction is in order, yeah?”

He then pulled down the hooded part of his cape for the first time in a while, revealing his whole face.

Same olive-greenish-brown color with a lighter underbelly? Check.

Same long, messy, shoulder-length blackish-gray hair? Check.

But part of his clothing and armor was covered by the cloak.

Then, the unknown toad began to tell Percy and Braddock his name with a smile.

“My name is Basil”, he said. “It's nice to meet ya.”

Chapter Text

In the dungeon, located on the upper floor of South Toad Tower.

Same olive-greenish-brown color with a lighter underbelly? Check.

Same long, messy, shoulder-length blackish-gray hair? Check.

But part of his clothing and armor was covered by the cloak.

Then, the unknown toad began to tell Percy and Braddock his name with a smile.

“My name is Basil”, he said. “It’s nice to meet ya.”

Percy and Braddock stared at Basil, still taken aback by his unusual sayings and mannerisms, but also somehow feeling fascinated by his appearance. His face, to be exact.

Braddock was the first to break the silence, still nonplussed at what she witnessed. “Uh… Basil, huh… Well, that’s a rare and unique name that you have.”

Percy awkwardly coughed, then chimed in after a moment of composure. His tone is curious. “Sorry. You know… we were expecting… well… you know?”

“Ah, let me guess. You were expecting a toad who is ferocious and ruthless, huh?”, Basil said.

“Well…”, Percy began to speak before Basil chuckled, feeling amused. Percy was surprised.

“Hahaha… yeah… I get that a lot sometimes. I can understand the confusion”, said Basil. He looked at the cloak wearing around him. “Guess the cloak and everything can be quite deceiving, huh?”

As Braddock observed Basil, with her spear in hand, she tilted her hair slightly. “I mean, it is very misleading if you ask me.”

“Hm, well, I can understand it, so fair enough”, Basil said as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “I usually get comments about that sometimes.”

Percy and Braddock exchanged glances with each other. Then looked at Basil once more.

“Ok, well… can you at least just give us a moment, please?”, Braddock asked.

Basil raised an eyebrow at first, but then completely understood that the duo–the couple–needed a moment to figure out what to do with him.

“Ah, no worries. I won’t bother you. Take your time”, Basil replied, with a somewhat forbearing demeanor.

“...You’re not going to try to find a way to escape?”, Percy asked, feeling at a loss.

“Not a chance”, Basil replied again, and then he looked at the plate of cricket legs he was holding. “Besides… gotta finish my cricket leg.”

Another few minutes have passed.

Grime is still in his quarters as well as Basil’s two swords that were taken out of the dual sword holder. The captain cleaned the blood off the blue sword with a clean rag.

It’s also the same rag that he used to clean the red sword, in which the black patina has already been wiped off.

Grime had a serious look on his face as he continued cleaning the blue sword. After a few seconds, the remaining blood became completely wiped off, leaving the sword shiny.

The captain sighed. “There we go”, he said to himself as he placed the blue sword next to the red sword on his table.

Bron then walked to Grime’s quarters. The frog wore his usual attire—what with the button-collared shirt and all.

“Huh. You looked laser-focused while cleaning”, Bron said to Grime.

Grime heard Bron’s voice while he looked at the swords. The toad looked at the frog after the comment.

“Well, being ‘laser-focused’ is all I can think about now”, Grime replied, still maintaining his serious demeanor. “But regardless, I finished the job. They should be clearer for you to see what they are made of.”

Bron sighed. “Much appreciated, captain. This should be much easier for me in the long run”, he replied. “Besides the little scratches, of course.”

“I know. I saw the markings.” The captain looked at the two swords once more, this time, the blades that were covered in minor scratches. “Seems that our prisoner in the dungeon had put up a lot of fights in the past… just like me.”

Bron’s face lit up a little. “Huh. You were a prisoner here?”, the frog said curiously.

Grime replied as he proceeded to pick up the dual sword holder off the floor and put the two swords in it. “Not a prisoner… but a well-known gladiator in the Newtopia colosseum of some sort. That’s how I got my scars, both physically and emotionally.”

“A gladiator, huh?”, Bron remarked, feeling surprised and amused. “Who would’ve thought?”

Grime looked at Bron afterward, his expression remaining neutral. “I know it might be surprising, but at least my past made me into the ruler and commander of toads that I am today”, he gruffly said. “And I might as well keep it this way.”

“Well, I don’t mean that disrespectfully”, the frog, smirking, said as the toad captain handed the two swords to him. “Honestly, it seems pretty badass if you ask me.”

Grime let out a grumble, but at least he wasn’t completely annoyed. In all honesty, he found a bit of amusement and surprise in Bron’s response. He did not comment on it thereafter.

“Anyway, I’ll be sure to keep you and the others updated as I try to figure out the material of these swords”, said Bron as he took the dual sword holder with the two swords out of Grime’s hands. “I’m either thinking of material that’s made of sorcery, or material that is plant-based yet dangerous. Here’s hoping.”

Just as Grime is about to get a word in, Percy and Braddock rush into his quarters with frantic expressions. The toad captain and the frog turned their faces to the duo.

“Captain Grime! Captain Grime! Sir!”, voiced Braddock.

“Yes, what is it?”, Grime asked authoritatively as he looked at Percy and Braddock. “Did you two need something?”

“And why are you two feeling creeped out all of a sudden?”, Bron chimed in. “Oh, frog… is it Monday already?”

Percy pants a bit after running to Grime’s quarters a bit. “It’s…the intruder…he… isn’t what he seems, sir”, he said between breaths.

Grime raised an eyebrow as he walked to the two toads. “What in frog’s name do you mean by that?”, he said.

“Well, here’s the thing, sir”, Braddock responded. “We think that he’s not evil. Actually… he’s not dangerous at all…”

Grime had a confused expression on his face. As well as Bron.

In the upstairs dungeon.

It has been a few minutes ever since Percy and Braddock left the dungeon to address Grime about the intruder.

In other words, they addressed Grime about Basil.

And speaking of Basil, the toad himself is still in his cell. He has already finished his cricket legs. The finished plate is placed on the floor.

He sat on the floor, criss-cross… applesauce. He looked around the cell, seeing how he found nothing interesting around him. Well, besides making small talk with toad number one and toad number two.

Basil looked down at the floor, seeing a stag beetle climbing onto a brick. Seeing the beetle on the brick, he knew he had to do something. He gave out a silent, closed sigh.

He looked at the plate in front of him that had the crumbs of cricket legs. Still sitting on the floor, he picked up the plate, put it on his lap, and took a medium-sized crumb off it.

Basil then placed the crumb in front of the stag beetle. “Here ya go, buddy”, he said.

The beetle then looked at the crumb and crawled towards it. Then it proceeds to eat it as Basil watches, smiling a little.

Then the toad’s smile unexpectedly dropped a bit as he heard the door open, which he looked at curiously.

Grime then came inside the dungeon. Then Braddock, and then Percy.

Basil witnessed the three toads walking into the room.

“Oh… they’re back”, Basil thought as he looked at Percy and Braddock. Then he looked at Grime, confused. “...And… with their boss…?”

“We’re telling you, he seems oddly nice”, Percy said to Grime.

Then Braddock chimed in. “Yeah, and at least it’s not a bit disturbing.”

Grime eyed the couple, then he looked at Basil. Then the couple once more.

The captain’s expression is still bookish. “I’ve already heard your description of him. Though… what exactly is your impression of him?”

“Well, he’s not ferocious or devious or blood-thirsty… or anything like that… right?”, Braddock said, her tone curious.

Grime eyed Basil. The latter witnessed the conversation in inquisitive silence.

“We’ll see about that”, the captain said impassively.

Grime then walks to Basil's prison cell, his heavy footsteps echoing in the dungeon. He stands in front of the cell, his gaze fixed on the cross-legged toad.

Percy and Braddock watched closely, seeing how the captain and the intruder’s conversation would unfold.

With a demeanor so rough, commanding, interrogative, and stern, Grime crossed his arms.

The captain began talking. “Now then, we have some questions for you. And it’s in your best interest to answer them honestly. And if you make any moves… then we will head in a different direction with you.”

Talk about dealing with the intruder in an approachable manner.

“Now, you don’t know who I am, and I don’t know who you are. But the least that we can do is get to know what you are here for”, continued Grime. His tone is firm, mixed with regard. “So… are you ready to comply.”

Basil remained sitting cross-legged as he locked eyes with Grime. As the captain was convinced of how the intruder seemed a bit off, the intruder thought to himself before responding to him. His mind was racing on how to handle being interrogated, as well as trying to say the right thing. One wrong thing, and it could all go south from there. But what does he know? He may be a toad who’s easygoing and humble, as well as coming from another valley… but at least he’s the combative type sometimes.

Even though he maintained his composed expression and that he considered other options, Basil decided to submit to the conversation. In this case, he carefully goes out with it.

“Okay then. Ask away”, said Basil, still relaxed. He still maintained his cordial tone in the mix.

Grime then cleared his throat as he stepped towards the cell, looking down at the sitting intruder. He studied Basil’s placid nature, contrasting with his rough nature.

The captain asked his first question to him. His tone was firm. “Firstly, who are you and where did you come from?”

Basil proceeded to take a deep breath and began to answer honestly while his gaze was fixated on Grime.

“...Well, my name is Basil. And I’m a toad, like one of you. And I come from a valley. Well… not from here, of course. More like a different land across from here. Heh… And if you might be wonderin’ about how I got here, well… I don’t know how to explain it all. Kind of a bit… wild if you think about it. But what I do know is that I stumbled upon this tower of yours to get away from the rain yesterday. It was really pounding so hard out there.”

Grime listened to Basil intently, while Percy and Braddock observed what was happening. Their expressions are skeptical but somehow intrigued.

Despite Basil’s casual personality, Grime remained alert, knowing how his explanation did not convince him.

“A toad… from a different valley, you say”, the captain grumbled. “And then you just occurred to come across our tower?”

“Well, it wasn’t on purpose. I only just stepped in here to protect myself from the rain,” said Basil. Then his expression somehow lit up in a pondering state. He looked around the dungeon cell to see a prison window behind him. He stood up and looked through the window. It was not raining outside at the moment, as it suddenly became sunny.

“Speaking of which, I’m guessing that the rain has stopped now”, the toad continued. Basil then turned his head to Grime, Percy, and Braddock, smiling. “Crazy how the weather works, huh?”

Grime, still looking at Basil, remained his usual unchanged expression. But he remained suspicious of the intruder. At least it confirmed a part of Basil’s story.

“The weather is neither here nor there by any chance”, the captain replied curtly. “And you expect us to believe that this is your only reason for you barging into our tower and being here?”

Braddock and Percy still observed the conversation as they exchanged a look.

“...Well, what were you expecting?”, asked Basil, confused.

Grime sharply responded, progressively starting to become impatient. He unfolded his arms.

“Well, for all we know, we have no idea what your real intentions are. And we know that we all had our fair share of different intruders and wild excuses”

The captain then slowly walked towards and closely to the cell. He clenched his fists. “There are tons of ample possibilities. You could either be a threat to us or you could be innocent. Or maybe you could’ve been sent to spy on our tower. And as of right now, you’re somehow unexpected appearance here is more than just a mere coincidence.”

The captain let his words hang into the air, as he hoped for a more clearer, fleshed-out response from the intruder.

Basil somehow recoiled a bit as he examined Grime’s tone. He continued to be relaxed as he answered to him truthfully and honestly, as he tried to not anger him… as well as trying to not make him more and more impatient. He cleared his throat as he turned to Grime.

“I can assure you that it isn’t anything like that. Honestly, I’m not here to ruffle any feathers. The least I can do is to make sure I don’t leave you feeling cross”, said Basil as he walked to the center of his cell, his gaze fixated on the captain.

“So, to keep it all short and sweet… no one sent me here. I came here all alone by myself and with no intent, except to seek shelter from the storm yesterday, of course. Sure, I did come from another valley, but I had no idea that there were other amphibians like you in that tower of yours. And I didn’t mean any of that to happen. Right now, I want to get my two swords all sorted and get back on this journey of mine, and not cause you any more trouble. Surely we’ve covered this more than enough, haven’t we?”

Basil then let out a bit of mannerisms and slight movements while he said his piece while being composed. And a bit bugged out, despite his amiable personality. Seemingly, something might’ve changed inside of him. Even a tiny bit.

Grime, witnessing Basil’s body language, feels like he might be on the verge of a breaking point. He bowed his head and took a deep breath, resorting to a different saying for Basil.

The captain lets out a low growl. “There will be plenty more to cover once you start giving me real answers”, he said. He then looked away before he proceeded to walk back downstairs.

Grime shot Basil one last, piercing glare, full of suspicion. “Until then, we’re keeping an eye on you,” he warned in a low, menacing voice. Basil felt the heaviness of Grime’s stare as the door creaked shut behind him, but at least that didn’t stop and break his usual demeanor. Not even a little.

Percy and Braddock were somehow silent for the duration of Basil’s interrogation, rendered speechless.

Basil snapped out of the heaviness and exhaled as he returned to his own relaxed, easy-going, mild self. He took a deep breath and broke the silence as he looked at the two toad guards.

“Well… that was something, heh”, said Basil as he chuckled a little.

Percy and Braddock are still rendered speechless. Basil, still looking at them, was somehow puzzled at them. “Uh… why are you looking at me like that?”

Still taken aback by the tension of this whole moment, Braddock broke the silence by clearing her throat.

“...Not gonna lie on this one…”, she whispered to Percy. “That was a bit crazy.”

“Yeah… I’ve never seen Captain Grime like this before, even in interrogations like this”, Percy whispered back to her.

Basil was still confused, and also unsure of what to say next, given the fact that Percy and Braddock were talking to each other about the captain’s change of manner during his questioning with Basil.

“Uh… forgive me… but… who is Captain Grime? Is that your boss?”, asked Basil. Both Percy and Braddock abruptly stopped whispering to each other and looked at the trespassing toad in his cell.

“Yeah… that’s him. He’s our captain of the tower”, Percy responded, as he and Braddock walked towards the cell.

“...And basically, a toad without so much as an introduction, huh?”, said Basil, possibly finishing the sentence. He smiled a little.

Percy chuckled and nodded in agreement. “Heh, heh. Yeah, he can be like that sometimes, and he can also be a bit of a grump.”

Braddock chimed in. “And you can’t blame us for being surprised to see him like this.”

“Oh, I get it. I’ve seen things more intense before…”, Basil said, starting to progressively feel comfortable. Then he looked away with a bit of a serious look. “...I’ve seen a lot of intense stuff.”

Braddock then had a bit of a thought while Basil was speaking. “Hmm…”

Then she responded curiously. “You know… you seemed… pretty natural, after being interrogated by him and all that.”

Basil raised his eyebrow and looked at the duo with a confused look. “Natural, huh…? What do you mean by that?”

Percy replied to the stranger’s question. “Well, for someone who can fight with two swords, cry over cricket legs, and be calm in a questioning like that… it’s kind of weird and surprising.”

Basil crossed his arms and darted his eyes away for a bit. “Yeah, well… for you, maybe”, he said in a low tone. “It’s always somethin’ here. And when it’s always somethin’, you spent a lot of time thinkin’ about it.”

The way Basil expressed that last part made his tone somewhat earnest.

The couple exchanged glances, noticing the indirect shift in Basil’s tone, but they couldn’t tell for sure. Their expressions, however, softened just a bit, and they saw the slightest side of him they had never seen before.

Actually, there are two distinct sides to Basil. One is the cheerful and carefree side, while the other leads him to be more contemplative and pensive.

Percy slowly had an idea that popped on the top of his head. He proceeds to speak first after this sudden quiet moment.

“Hey, uh… your name’s Basil, right?”, he asked him.

Still crossing his arms, Basil’s eyes slowly darted to Percy and Braddock. “Uh, yeah…? Why?”, he asked, confused.

“Well, I know we don’t want to pressure you or anything like that…”, Percy responded. “...But if you ever want to talk about what your life was like in your old valley, as well as you talking about your two swords… then…”

Braddock’s face somehow lit up at Percy’s idea as he looked at him. Then she caught on.

“...We’re all ears”, she finished.

Percy then smiled at Braddock as the latter looked at Basil. Then Percy looked back at the intruder, who became acquainted with the two toads.

Basil then thought for a moment about Percy’s idea. “Hm…”

Percy’s sudden concept makes sense, as it has already sunk into Basil. Sometimes, you just have to work your way up to create a connection—in this case, a connection with different toads from different valleys.

Basil seemed like the type of person to share everything sometimes judging by his lighthearted demeanor, but most likely the type of toad to not share his past, because what if the other toads in the tower think that his past might be either dark or optimistic? There’s only one way to find out… but for him, not right now.

The toad in the cell then sighed through his nose and finally replied to the duo. “Well… I‘ll talk when I’m ready…”, he said as he slowly gave out a warm smile. “But you know…I think I’d like that”, he said.

The duo reassuringly smiled at the intruder and let out a single, understanding nod. As the two proceeded to walk out of the dungeon room, Braddock silently glanced at Percy, whose expression seemed to say, “nice thinking, Perce.”

As Basil watched the two toads walk to the door, he then called out to them last-minute. “Uh, hey!”, he yelled out.

Percy and Braddock turned and looked at Basil as he continued. “Uh… I gotta ask. What’re your names?”, he asked.

The two toads looked at each other. Then looked at Basil once again as they smiled.

“The name’s Percy”, the green toad replied.

“And I’m Braddock”, the purple toad chimed.

“Hm”, said Basil. “Nice to meet you two.”

Meanwhile… a few minutes later.

As Percy and Braddock were talking to Basil in the dungeon, as well as Bron examining the two swords, Grime was located at the top of the rooftop, staring into the distance. It felt like he needed it today after making a scene towards Basil.

The captain’s arms rested on the top of the thick round turrets. He felt the slightest breeze on his face as he closed his eyes. He sighs deeply in resentment.

Deal with the intruder in an approachable manner, he said. Go in a much more different direction, he said.

But he still needed some real answers from Basil. No matter how many ways he would try to do it.

The captain then unexpectedly and bitterly opened his eyes as he stared into the distance again. He also heard the hatch of the tower rooftop open far behind him.

“I can feel you watching me”, said Grime, slightly vexed.

“Frog, you’re good”, said Bron, who was watching Grime this whole time for a few split seconds.

The frog then made his way up to the rooftop and cautiously walked to the toad. Grime grunted in response.

Bron tilted his head a little as he read Grime’s expression. “So… I take that your interrogation of the intruder didn’t go well.”

“That’s putting it lightly”, muttered Grime, gruffly. His gaze still fixated on the horizon, and the whole front area of the tower.

There was a moment of silence between the toad and the frog, as the air and breeze filled the stillness.

The captain broke the silence as he begrudgingly started to open up.

“That toad… this… Basil person… he’s giving me more questions than answers besides the fact that he stumbled into the tower”, Grime said in a low tone. “...And those two… they said that he’s not evil and dangerous.”

Bron maintains his silence as he listens to Grime. He could also sense his frustration as well.

“Yeah, well, you know all of us. We’re always smooth sailing sometimes. Maybe just plain sailing,” said Bron as he looked at the view.

The frog then darted his eyes at Grime and continued. “If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t gotten any far on that toad’s two swords yet. But at least I know those blades were made of iron instead of steel.”

Grime silently huffed through his nose. “...Iron, huh? Well, that’s an outset.”

“Yeah…”, Bron responded as he looked at the view again.

Once more, there was a moment of silence. Then Bron heedlessly responded.

“You know… it’s kind of a bit interesting how you seem upset about the intruder being all friendly and calm like that. I mean, I still feel a bit bad for you, but I wish I could’ve seen it in action.”

Grime rolled his eyes, becoming a bit vexed.

“...It’s not ‘interesting’, it’s irritating and confounding”, he growled. “Calm and friendly are just terms. And him acting like that gives me the wrong impression.”

Bron then hummed a bit in contemplation.

“Well, do you think he poses a threat?”, he asked.

Grime then let out a heavy sigh. His expression remained firm and more serious. He bluntly replied as his tone was low.

“...I’m not sure. The intruder gave a fair introduction and said that he stumbled into the tower to shelter himself from the rain yesterday. He may appear to be harmless, but there’s always a chance that he is hiding something. Something dangerous. And I just wish he would reveal more about everything, so we can just get straight to the point and find out what we are dealing with.”

Bron understood Grime’s issue, seeing how the captain didn’t trust Basil. The frog also saw Grime’s slight body language, where he gripped his hands into his arms as he was talking. He felt the need to give Grime a pat on the back, but he decided to respect his wishes instantly.

The frog then replied to Grime as he looked at him, with a bit of an assuring tone. “And you will, big guy. Word of advice? Maybe pace yourself with the toad besides the ‘approachable manner’ thing. If it worked for me and you… and maybe you with Percy, and Braddock, too, I guess… then it might work for him, too.”

Grime looked at Bron in silence with an addled expression, then gazed at the horizon once more with a serious, contemplative look, allowing Bron’s words to sink in.

A few days later…

A few days have passed since Basil was held captive in the Toad Tower. And he still is to this day.

Throughout these days, Percy and Braddock have been progressively making conversation, as well as warming up to Basil.

Basil, on the other hand, was somehow getting used to Percy and Braddock’s presence, unlike his first encounter with Grime. But what does he know? He’s been stuck in this tower for three days now, and somehow not even thinking about a way to escape.

Grime has also been training the toads in the tower by sparring and practicing, as well as giving them harsh pep talks in case they start to become lazy and restless. He also has mixed feelings and still has his suspicions and thoughts on Basil after his talk with Bron on the tower rooftop.

Bron still thought about the two swords, but he kept his distance from the dungeon and the intruder, even though he felt like Basil could potentially pose a threat. But he’s never interacted with Basil directly before. But at least Percy and Braddock caught Bron up to speed while they were not watching him in the dungeon.

So far, some things in the Toad Tower were an easy progress for some. That is, until…

…the fourth day.

It was nighttime. And at least it wasn’t midnight.

Basil is still in the dungeon cell. He started to become restless being in here. But at least that didn’t stop him from having an attitude.

As some of Basil’s thoughts start to race in his mind, they are stopped by the sounds of the door opening.

“Um… hey… you in there?”, asked Bron.

Basil was somehow caught off-guard at the change of presence. Apparently, he was still caught off-guard by seeing Bron.

For the toad, the situation was somewhat interesting, but he found it confusing and surprising that a frog was living inside a tower full of toads. However, if it meant getting out of the tower faster or getting used to the amphibians talking to him, he decided it was best to just roll with it.

Basil also felt a bit surprised to see Bron struggling and carrying the two swords in his sword holder before and after his sword fight with Grime.

After Bron sets down the sword holder on the floor next to him, he looks around to find Basil.

“Uh… right here”, said Basil to Bron.

Bron heard Basil’s voice as he turned around to see him.

"Oh, it's you, the intruder," the frog said, slightly surprised meeting Basil for the first time. “Basil, isn’t it?”

“Um…yeah, that’s me”, said Basil as he stood up and walked towards the cell door, still eyeing Bron. “…How did you…?”

“Well, you met Percy and Braddock, right?”, Bron replied.

“Yeah… these two are kind of… kind…”

“Heh. Yeah, that’s them alright. They filled me in before their little sword training session.”

Basil lets out a little “huh”. Not in a questionable form. He then started to become a bit confused with the conversation between him and Bron.

“Uh… hold on… I’m sorry… who are you?”, the toad asked.

“Oh, well, you can just call me Bron. I’m just a researcher in this tower, and just… basically the only frog here”, the frog replied as he walked to Basil, maintaining his distance.

“In a tower full of toads… I see that”, Basil replied.

The toad eyed at the sword holder that had his two swords. “Hey, I’m not gonna try to threaten you but, what were you doin’ with my swords?”, he said to Bron as he pointed at the sword holder.

Bron then turned around to see the sword holder on the floor, then he turned to Basil and replied to him. “Well, for your information, I was just cleaning them for you.”

The frog crossed his arms as he continued talking to him. “Not because I wanted to examine them, but because I consider it a nice gesture.”

Bron leaned a little towards Basil. “And if you’re thinking about giving the swords back to you, then hard pass. Plus, I feel like the boss would have my head all of a sudden.”

“Wait, you cleaned my swords?”, Basil, raising an eyebrow, asked confusingly.

“Well, technically, Grime cleaned them. Besides, if I were to do that, then the corrosion on them would be hard to get off…”, the frog replied. “But I did hold on to them, so at least that does count as my good gesture.”

This somehow doesn’t make sense to Basil. He was captured and is held in the dungeon, and is held for four days now. The toad thought he was going to be punished, or executed, or something. And look how that turned out.

The cricket legs brought back memories for him and revealed his true personality. He even made instant headway with Percy and Braddock. His swords were cared for by Grime and Bron, while making progress with the latter. It was all perplexing for Basil.

But Grime cleaning his swords after the first conversation he had with Basil… after he became skeptical and a little threatening to him… it made it even more perplexing.

Basil thought to himself, What is happening?

As Bron witnessed Basil’s confused expression, he continued to speak. “Hey… sorry that I might come off a bit rude before.”

“Wait, really? I didn’t notice”, Basil said.

“I know you seem like a nice guy, and I know you don’t want to cause any trouble in this tower like you said. Besides, this whole place is already in trouble enough as it is.”

Basil raised an eyebrow. “Trouble…? What do you mean by that?”

“Well, I don’t want to be the type of frog to do… whatever it is I’m about to do…”, responded Bron. “But, word on the street is that the herons and the state of the army are the sources of all these problems happening right now.”

Basil then remembered he heard Percy and Braddock’s conversation from their room a few days ago… about their worries regarding the state of the tower and their roles within it.

The words ‘Are we even meant for this at all’ were somehow on the back of Basil’s mind. Even amphibians can sympathize with strangers they have never met before. In this case, those so-called strangers that Basil met turned into friends.

Not best friends of course, but at least it’s a start.

More like acquaintances.

Basil let out a single hum to himself as he thought about what to say next.

“…And that’s… bad?”, he asked.

Bron responded. He moves for a little bit while eyeing Basil. “I mean, it’s good for some people… but it’s bad for everything else. But at least everyone is still standing. Especially this tower.”

Basil then took a second to process his thoughts after Bron’s comment. He doesn’t know if he wants to get swept up in this or not, but despite conversing with the toads, he does know that he needs to get out of this dungeon cell somehow and continue on his journey. He’s been trapped for four days. Wouldn’t want to make it five.

But then, Basil heard faint, menacing screeches coming from outside.

“Hm… what is that?”, he asked as he turned around to see the prison window. He looked outside to see some figures in the sky. Mostly all of the figures have wings and are flying towards the tower.

“What is what?”, Bron asked.

“I… I heard some noises coming from outside”, Basil replied. “They look like birds, and I think they’re coming to your tower.”

Suddenly, a familiar, grim voice came from behind the cell. “The herons.”

Both Basil and Bron were surprised. Not only because of the herons coming for the Tower, but by who said it.

They turn around to see Grime, standing by the doorway.

Basil heard the word ‘herons’ before.

Grime continued speaking. “Not only are they birds, but they are also a murderous species and the apex predators of amphibians. They are ruthless hunters that love the taste of flesh.”

Basil silently gulped at the thought of it, signifying that he was a bit tense because of the herons.

Grime looked at Bron, then looked at Basil. He still maintained his serious expression. “The important thing right now is that we need to stay absolutely quiet.”

Bron silently gave a single nod at Grime.

The heron’s screeching was heard downstairs at the tower.

Bron’s eyes widened at the sound of the heron. He gasped. “Oh, frog, it’s at the entrance!”

“Oh, frog… this will not do”, Grime said. “Bron, lead every toad you can to the room! I’ll close the gates! Quickly!”

Bron followed Grime’s orders and ran off to the dungeon to warn every toad about the herons, as well as leading them to the safe room. Before Grime ran downstairs, Basil called out to him.

“Wait! Let me help you!”, said Basil to Grime as he walked towards the cell bars.

“No! I don’t know if you are planning something, but I do not trust you. You might just use this chance to escape. You stay in your cell." Grime replied harshly as he glared at Basil.

“Look. I already gave you real answers. And I know you don’t trust me. I get it. And whether you believe it or not, what I said is all true. But if you want your whole toad army to survive, you should at least need the extra help”, replied Basil as he started to have a serious, urgent tone.

Grime studies him for a moment.

“Why should I believe you?”, he said, still distrustful.

Basil took a deep breath.

Be careful, Basil… he thought to himself. He replied to the captain. His voice was lowered.

“Because… even if I do want to escape… I would’ve left all of you to die instead. And you seem like the type of guy who isn’t afraid of death. So you could either keep arguing with me or let me save your toads from the herons. It’s your decision.”

A silence somehow lingered in the air, besides the sound of the heron outside.

Grime turned his head and looked at the doorway, leading downstairs. He then turned his head once again. This time, he’s looking at Basil.

The sounds of the screeching heron continued from the main entrance. Then Grime somehow heard Braddock’s voice.

“Uh, captain! A little help here?”, she yelled out to him.

Grime’s jaw tightened as he clenched his fists. He bowed his head as he growled lightly and closed his eyes tightly. He exhaled sharply through his nose as he relaxed his closed eyes.

It seemed pretty clear that he had no choice.

He opened his eyes, still glaring at Basil. He walked towards the cell and opened it. Reluctant, and with no hesitation.

“Fine”, he responded coldly.

Basil became surprised at Grime’s gesture. The captain took a step closer as he looked at Basil and continued speaking.

“If you are so eager to help, then prove it. But if you try anything, I will show no mercy”, threatened Grime in a low tone as he clenched his fists.

Basil kept his serious expression while having a twinge of nervousness inside of him. His stance was tense.

Grime turned to the door. “Now then, quickly!”, he said in a commanding tone. “Before the herons get inside!”

The captain ran as he headed towards the stairwell. Basil silently calmed his nerves and immediately followed suit, not acknowledging that his two swords were still in the dungeon.

Grime and Basil made their way to the main floor of the tower, where they found both Percy and Braddock struggling and trying to close the gates on each side. The main entrance was blocked by the head of the heron.

Oh, they really are big, Basil thought to himself, surprised.

“Push it back toward the gates!”, Grime said to Basil. He then ran to the gates and immediately assisted to help Percy and Braddock to close the entrance.

Basil immediately ran to the gates as well. While Grime was helping with Braddock, Basil helped Percy.

Percy was surprised when Basil came to his side of the gates and helped him out.

He gasped as he looked at him. “You’re out of the cell!”, he said. “Did you come to help us?”

There was a bit of excitement in Percy’s voice.

“Less talkin’... more entrance blockin’”, grunted Basil.

“Oh, right, right! Sorry”, Percy responded.

The gates were almost closed, but the heron is almost about to get in the toad tower, getting ready to eat every toad in this tower.

Braddock said in a fearful tone, “Gah! They’re almost inside!”

“Stay strong! We must close this entrance off!”, Grime grunted.

The four toads try to give all their might to close the gates, but the heron is still not giving up.

Percy could feel himself starting to slip as Basil starts to notice. The latter tries to figure out some way, literally any way, to get the heron out of the entrance. He looks around the whole floor to attack the heron with. There, Basil notices barrels on the side of the wall.

Perfect, he thought.

Basil made haste as he ran to grab one of the barrels. Percy felt a light movement and silently noticed that Basil ran off, then he looked around to find him and is surprised to find out he’s carrying two of the barrels, making his way to the front of the entrance.

As the heron kept screeching, Grime, still focused on trying to close the side of the gate, thought to himself, “I…am not… afraid of death! I will not let anyone get eaten.”

“Hey, heron!”, Basil yelled to the heron.

Grime, Percy, and Braddock felt surprised as they heard Basil’s voice. He stood at the front of the main floor. He carried one of the barrels over his shoulder, and one was set on his side.

Grime was the one who was especially surprised as well.

“Get dunked on!”, he yelled again.

Basil grunted as he proceeded to throw the barrel (the one that he was carrying) at the heron. The barrel broke when it hit the heron, revealing that the inside was some sort of green liquid.

The heron screeched at Basil. The toad made use of the second barrel and proceeded to throw it at the predator as well.

Direct hit!

The heron whimpered after he got hit by the barrels, and retreated his head from the tower to the outside.

Basil then went to Percy’s side at the gate once more. The two of them fully pushed their side of the gate. Then, Grime and Braddock pushed their side as well, leading to the gates becoming fully closed.

The four toads all caught their breath. Percy collapsed on the floor, face up. Braddock leaned against the door. Grime and Basil both sat against the door.

Grime panted, and then he began to chuckle a little. “Where… did you get moves like that?”, he said to Basil.

Basil, panting, looked at the captain. “...Ever heard of… Bog Ball before?”

“I’m sorry… Bog what?”, Grime said, perplexed.

“That’s the one.”

Braddock looked at Basil, still astonished. “...Basil?”

Basil replied to her with a simple, “...Hiya…”

Percy sat up and looked at Basil. “Wow… you really did come here to help us. That’s kind of a surprise.”

“Wait, but… how did you get out of your cell?”, asked Braddock, confused.

“Well… he did”, Basil said as he looked at Grime.

Percy and Braddock looked at Grime, and then at each other. Then back at Grime again. In a shocked silence.

Grime broke the silence with an exasperated sigh. “I’ll discuss everything later.”

He then stood back up and looked at the three toads. “In the meantime, Bron is grabbing every toad he can to the safe room. And I suggest that we all head there”, he said.

The herons continued screeching. This time, from outside the tower. The four toads heard the sound.

“Quickly!”, Grime commanded.

Basil stood back up and helped Percy up. Then the four toads proceeded to head to the safe room.

In the safe room…

Outside, the herons were flying around the tower waiting for the toads to come out.

Inside, Grime, Basil, Percy, and Braddock made their way downstairs to the safe room. They all entered to find everyone—from the whole army to the garrison—in the tower becoming scared of the herons.

There, they find Bron, who succeeded in wrangling every toad to the room.

“Bron!”, Grime yelled at the frog, which he heard.

Bron ran to the four toads as he talked to them. “Oh, you made it here safely.”

The frog then noticed Basil who was out of his cell and with the three toads. “...And you’re out of the dungeon,”, he said to him.

“Hiya to you, little one”, Basil said to Bron, not fazed and smiling.

“What’s the status?”, Grime asked.

“Oh… right. Well, every toad is here and yes, I double-checked to make sure. But I think some are … scared?”, replied Bron.

Already witnessed everyone in the room, Grime was somehow not in the mood to berate them. He already had to deal with Basil helping out, as well as dealing with the herons. He did not have to deal with yelling at them and saying to them that they are the most useless toads he had ever seen.

Grime sighed through his nose, feeling provoked. He clenched his fists once more.

“…Give me a moment”, the captain said to the frog and three toads.

He silently stormed off to go to the storeroom, which was covered by a tattered tarp.

All of the toads silently read their captain’s expression, knowing what he was going to say to them. They have somehow come to the point that they have all gone soft and useless.

Basil, Percy, Braddock, and Bron were all confused about why Grime walked off to the storeroom. The former two silently looked at each other while Basil and Bron looked on.

“Huh… what was all that about?”, Bron asked as he raised an eyebrow. The frog then looked at Percy and Braddock. “I just ‘gave the status’ like he said.”

Braddock replied to Bron, “Ah, it’s okay. We know that it wasn’t you.”

Basil still looked on after Grime left. After giving it some thought, he silently decided to go to the storeroom to talk to Grime.

“Uh, Basil?”, Percy said to him.

The toad ignored his call as he caught up with Grime. Percy, Braddock and Bron looked at each other confusingly.

Basil read some of the expressions of the toads as he passed through. He lifted the tarp just to silently see Grime pacing at a normal, steady speed. He also looked around the inside of the storeroom, a bit surprised and amazed to see how spacious it really is.

“Huh. Now that is a lovely storage space you have here”, Basil said as he still looked at the inside of the room.

Grime silently became a bit startled to see Basil looking at him in the storeroom. He suspired, vexedly.

“What are you doing here?”, the captain annoyingly said.

Basil still kept his distance as he continued to talk to Grime.

“Now, now… I still come in peace”, said Basil as he raised his hands up. “Besides, even if I didn’t, I doubt you left me in one piece.”

Grime then turns away from Basil, seemingly not in the mood for a conversation. But the latter continues to speak to him anyway after reading his body language.

“You know… I kind of have a knack for telling when someone is fumin’”, Basil said. He entered the storeroom, still keeping a respectful distance. “Believe me, I’ve been in many tight spots to realize that type of look.”

Grime doesn’t respond back to him.

Basil sighed and continued once again. “You know you don’t need to say it. I know that you want to keep everything under control and keep everyone on their toes.”

Grime stops abruptly and turns to Basil. “I do not need a lecture from you.”

“Good, ‘cause you know very well that I’m not givin’ one to you”, Basil said as he casually leaned against the crate that was next to him, crossing his arms and looking at the captain. “Gotta say… it’s real bold seeing someone actin’ like you weren’t impressed with me takin’ care with the herons.”

Grime proceeded to walk towards Basil. His fists were clenched. His expression is serious. “May I remind you that you are a prisoner here?”, he said to him.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah… and I know it’s a one-time thing and I’ll be back in my cell after this. But right now, I just wanna help you get your whole tower all heron-free”, Basil replied, knowing Grime was not in the mood to argue.

Grime felt a bit confused when Basil said he wanted to help the tower be safe. He narrowed his eyes at the prisoner and asked him, “You, help? What’s in it for you, exactly?”

“Don’t worry, there’s nothing in it for me anyway”, responded Basil. “Although…”

Grime’s expression was perplexed as Basil continued.

“I do want to be released after this”, said Basil.

Grime curtly sighed. “Whatever happened to ‘be back in my cell after this’?”, he said, slightly annoyed.

“Hey, a toad like me can’t be blamed for having a little bit of hope, can I?”, Basil said as he shrugged nonchalantly. “Besides, if I already helped you back there, and can help you with this too, maybe you might consider it when the time comes. No pressure, of course.”

Grime’s fists slightly as he considered Basil’s words. Apparently, he knew that the prisoner might have a bit of a point there.

“Fine. Deal”, the captain finally said, still having a slight level of displeasure. He then crossed his arms as he looked at the prisoner. “Now what’s your idea to solve this?”

Basil then silently turned his head to look at the frightened and nervous army and garrison. Then he slowly had an idea that popped in the top of his head.

“Well… how about trying to be nice…?”, Basil answered cautiously.

“Being nice, huh? Well, what do you suggest I should do? Congratulate them? Give them each an award?”, said Grime. He then spit on the floor, which revealed to be a green-colored acidic saliva. The saliva then melted onto the floor afterwards.

Basil then had a surprised expression on his face, but brushes it off and remains calm. He then continues talking to the captain.

“Uh… no, not like that”, the prisoner responded. “I meant give them some compliments… you know, some kind words for a change. Or in your case, warm sentiments. Maybe that’ll give your army the courage to protect that tower of yours.”

“And that actually works?”, Grime asked. His expression softened a little as it turned into a bit of a confused one.

“Well, sometimes. But, yeah. Trust me.”

Grime walked to the tarp and peek inside it to all the soldiers, still feeling at unease, and thinking that they are useless. The captain started to feel reluctant as Basil peeked inside too.

“Mmm… I don’t know…”, said Grime, unsure.

Basil went into thinking mode as he let out a soft ‘Hmm…’, and then…

“I think I know just what to do”, he said.

Grime turned to Basil. “What?”

The prisoner walked out of the storage room, put his hand at the side of his mouth and spoke out loud for the army and the other toads to hear.

“Wow, Captain Grime! Did you just say that your army is amazing and hardworking? That seems really sweet of you!”, Basil yelled out, which caused all of the toads to look at him. Their eyes somehow widened.

“What in the frog are you—“, said Grime, shocked and trying to shut Basil up, as well as trying to cover his mouth. Luckily, Basil avoided the captain’s mannerism as he grinned.

All of the roads listened intently to what Basil is about to say.

“What’s that you were about to say?”, Basil continued blaringly. Then he looked at Braddock. “Are you just about to say that Braddock is one of the toughest roads in the tower and that you admire her determination… or something?”

Grime looked at Basil, still shocked. Then he looked at Braddock, who instantly stood like a military soldier and maintained a mixed expression of nervousness and seriousness. She also prepared for what's coming at her.

“Uh…”, Grime started, then he began to slowly relax and followed Basil’s lead. “…Yes! Yes indeed. Braddock is tough! She’s tough… like beetle skin… and I admire her perseverance.”

Braddock’s expression softened as she listened to Grime’s compliment about her. She blushed a little as the toad soldiers supported her. She chuckled a bit and rubbed the back of her head.

“Oh, well… you know…”, said Braddock. “…I try. I mean, I did wash with a steel wool brush once. Heh… it, uh…”

The purple toad clears her throat. “It really hurts.”

Basil then walked to Bron, who had some toad soldiers standing behind him. “And what were those things that you said about Bron?”, he yelled once again.

Bron had a confused expression as Grime looked at him and tried to think of a compliment for the frog. “Oh… Bron, Bron, Bron… um…”

Then the captain got it.

“Bron may not be a soldier, and he may be the sole frog in a tower of toads… but he is an observer in this place. And he does give us the knowledge and the type of protection we need to survive and succeed in battle. And… he never skips a beat. Even when he was sick.”

Bron’s face was a little surprised at the comment. He then shrugged, chuckled a bit, and nonchalantly said, “Well, you know. Sometimes I’m dedicated.”

Some of the toad soldiers lightly talked amongst themselves as they were starting to feel a bit of a spark of inspiration. Some were mostly shocked.

Basil then walked to Grime, and gestured his hand to Percy.

“And what about Percy?”, Basil said loudly.

Grime then looked at Percy, who looked at the captain with the softest smile on his face. He tries to think of a compliment, even though he doesn’t want to do Percy at first. He felt slightly irritated.

The captain lets out a “Hmmm…” as he thinks of something.

And he thought of something… but he won’t like it a bit.

Grime took a deep breath and said, “Percy is a grubbing idiot.”

All of the toad soldiers gasped instantly out of shock and let out some light criticism among themselves.

Percy can feel his heart about to drop as his smile begins to fade.

“...But…”, said Grime, who is about to finish. “...When he makes a mistake. He owns it. And from what I’ve seen from him, he doesn’t stop until he makes things right.”

Percy started to become surprised at the captain’s comment about him.

Grime crossed his arms and looked away as he continued. “And because of that…”

The toad army and garrison gasped as they leaned forward.

“He has…”

Braddock and Bron leaned forward as well, awaiting Grime’s finished sentence.

Basil thought, “Come on…”

Grime grunted and finished his sentence. “...He has earned my respect!”

Everyone in the whole room all gasped once again, with shock and astonishment. They have never seen Grime on a different side before.

Percy then felt astounded by what he just heard. He then looked at Grime, still maintaining the expression he has on his face. “I have?”

“Y…yes?”, stammered Grime as he awkwardly shrugged his shoulders.

Percy felt a little choked up. He sniffled as he fully fought back the tears. Then he maintained a serious and determined expression, and with a smile on his face as he still looked at Grime.

“Captain Grime, sir, we’re taking this tower back!”, he proclaimed. “...Even if we have to fight through 20 heron!”

Percy then raised his fist in the air. He looked at all the confounded toads who were battle ready, and also found out the unexpected courage that they needed.

“Now come on, you toads!”, the jester roared. “No one wants to live forever!”

All of the toads, ranging from the army to the garrison to soldiers, began to cheer. They instantly ready their weapons and surged forward out of the safe room. Their battle cries echoed in the air and they fully headed out to the outside.

Grime and Basil were the only ones who were left behind, while the others (Percy, Braddock and Bron included) headed out to fight off the herons and defend the tower. Basil silently looked at Grime and genuinely smiled at him. Grime, on the other hand, was unaware of Basil looking at him, but he felt a bit weird, but all in all, filled with surprise by what was happening as he stared at the opening of the safe room.

The toads of the South Tower began to press on as they marched upstairs from the safe room, to…

…the front entrance.

Percy and Braddock were leading all of the toads out of the entrance. They awaited and were cautious about what was about to happen.

Then suddenly, two herons appeared as they peeked their heads in the central entrance. They walked to the front entrance where they faced the armed toads. And the army faced them as well.

Percy gulped out of nervousness. Then he felt and noticed his hand being held and caressed by Braddock beside him. Braddock looked at Percy, smiling with determination and giving him a single nod. The jester smiled back and dons a confident look on his face.

Percy and Braddock looked at the herons, who then screeched out loud.

“For Grime!”, yelled out Percy to the whole toad army.

All of the toads let out their battle cries and instantly rushed out to fight the herons, weapons and shields in hand, as well as using their fists. As the other toads proceeded to charge forward, Bron proceeded to take cover as he silently examined what was happening right now.

The toad army clashed with the herons as they create chaos and engage in battle. Arrows were fired. Some little tactics were unfolded. The herons roared as the amphibians roared and protected themselves as well.

Some of the toads were about ready to stab the herons with their swords but they were swept away and bashed by either their wings, or the claws on their feet.

One of the herons immediately spotted Percy and Braddock as its keen eyes narrowed as it was about to swoop down and kill them with alarming speed. The two toads began to feel their heart race as the herons start to prepare the worst for them.

The heron started to screech loudly as both the toads began to protect and shield each other, when suddenly.

“Up here, pheasants!”, yelled out Grime.

Both of the herons began to look at who is shouting, so is Percy and Braddock.

It was Grime and Basil, who were above the herons, and standing on one of the pieces of the tower.

Percy and Braddock, feeling surprised (and relieved), cheered for the two toads.

Bron, still taking cover and seeing the battle, felt surprised as well as he saw Grime and Basil. “Hmm… now that is even more pretty badass…”, he said to himself.

Grime and Basil let out their battle cries as they let out their weapons. The former wielded a sword of his own, while the latter wielded a big wooden stick that he could find outside (because his two swords, as well as the sword holder, were still in the dungeon).

The two of them leaped off from the tower and proceeded to target the herons.

Basil engaged with the first heron, where he used his somewhat agile movements. He also swung the wooden stick with all his might as he aimed for the heron’s head, catching the creature off guard.

Grime, on the other hand, aimed for the second heron, where his combat and gladiator training kicked in. He focused on maintaining his balance as he wielded the sword and began to slash at the heron’s wing in a swift motion, causing it to fall to the ground.

Then the two of them began to slide on the ground, weapons in hand. The two herons began to attack them, but luckily and unexpectedly, Grime and Basil fought fiercely as they coordinated their attacks together as they let out another cry. Their tactic somehow solidified in the heat of combat.

The herons screeched again, but this time, they had enough and, feeling defeated, flew off from the tower, flying off into the distance.

The rest of the toads (Percy and Braddock included) were in all awe as they witnessed what they had all seen while fighting together. They were also in awe seeing the herons flying off when they were helping each other up. Some ‘woahs’ and ‘wows’ were proclaimed.

Grime began to place his sword back in his sheath, as he took a deep breath. He then faed the crowded roads who watched the herons fly away. Basil then backs away as he is about to see the aftermath.

“Toads of the South Tower! Today was a great victory!”, the captain bellowed out to all of the toads. “If it weren’t for your bravery, as well as your hard work, the fortress would be lost. You’re all heroes!”

The amphibians were in a stunned silence by what Grime just said to them.

A random toad soldier said, “Did Grime…”

Braddock continued with, “...just call us…”

Percy finished with, “...heroes?”

All of the toads looked at each other, and then they all cheered and celebrated loudly. Not only for their whole victory and hard work, but also for their newfound pride and solidarity that blossomed among them.

As the sounds of jubilation filled in the air, Grime walked towards the joy-swelled toads.

“All right, troops, listen up”, the captain said.

The army instantly got in line and saluted to Grime. “Sir, yes, sir!”

Grime abruptly became surprised as he witnessed this in real time.

“Okay… wow, uh…”, said Grime as he blushed a bit. He cleared his throat afterwards. “...Head down to the mess hall for some food, and a round of beetle mead. You’ve… earned it.”

All of the toads smiled and gave out a “sir, yes, sir” once again as they began to head inside.

Bron, still behind the side of the entrance, noticed all of the toads heading into the mess hall. He then starts to see not only Grime and Basil outside, but also Percy and Braddock as well. He peeked his head outside.

“Uh… is it over?”, the frog said to them, careful and a little confused. The four toads noticed Bron inside the tower.

“Yeah, it’s over”, Braddock said to him. “And the herons are gone, too.”

Bron let out a sigh of relief as he walked to them. “Thank frog… I thought it would take too long.”

Grime still felt surprised as he looked off into the distance of the entrance.

“Unbelievable…”, he said, feeling somewhat joyous inside. The captain then looked at Basil. “This whole compliment stuff is witchcraft.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say witchcraft from where I’m from, but… yeah, sure”, replied Basil.

“Speaking of unbelievable…”, said Percy, and looked at Bron, feeling cheery. “Did you see how we took down those herons?”

“Ok, calm down, Percy”, said Bron, who patted the toad’s arm. “There were only two.”

“Oh, right, sorry. Just feelin’ so fired up just now.”

Braddock then walked up to Basil. She kindly said to him, “Hey… thanks for saving and helping us back there. I know that handling those herons the first time was not easy though.”

Basil rubbed the back of his head. “Ah, it’s no trouble at all. At least those birds won’t be bothering you for now”, he said.

Grime clears his throat behind the amphibians, which all of them turn around to look at him. The captain had his joyous expression already dropped and had his arms crossed.

“Oh, yeah… forgot about that”, Basil said to himself, realizing his conversation with Grime back in the safe room.

“Forgot about what?”, asked Percy, a little confused along with Braddock and Bron.

Basil walked up to Grime and talked to him.

“Ok… I did my part to help you, and I still do want to leave. So if you did consider our deal, then let me at least try to retrieve my swords. And a map, and some rations, please. I…I won’t bother ya again”, he said, with the last sentence becoming a bit awkward with a smile.

Grime then pulled out his sword, and aimed it at Basil. The latter swiftly put his hands up in defense, with the wooden stick he held being dropped on the floor.

“Not so fast”, said Grime, in a stern and suspicious tone as he looked at Basil. “As we all know, you’re far too dangerous and manipulative to let alone roam free.”

Percy, Braddock and Bron looked silently and intently with surprised looks on their faces. So did Basil.

“…But…?”, the toad said.

“But… at least we all know that I can’t stop you”, continued Grime. He then puts his sword back in his sheath. “So go ahead. Be a vagabond wandering alone into the wilderness.”

Basil slowly puts his hands down and turns around to look at the view from the Toad Tower. It was still nighttime outside. It really was surrounded by a mountainous region, as well as many barren trees everywhere.

The about-to-be-former prisoner looked towards the landscape as the memories of his long journey before coming here started flooding back to him. It wasn’t pretty sometimes… maybe all the time if he thinks about it.

Basil then looked at the four amphibians, steadying himself and looking back at some of the connections he made with them. He also looked back on everything that he’s been through. After thinking about it, he figured that maybe he kind of deserves a well-needed break or two.

Basil then took a deep breath after a moment of silence, then he spoke to the amphibians. Grime especially.

“Okay. I know that I saved your tower, and I have been locked in your prison for a few days, but after that whole chaos back there, I have never felt this more… alive before in my whole entire life.”

Grime then blinks in surprise as Percy, Braddock and Bron looked at each other.

“You look out for each other. And you protect what’s really important. But for me… it’s kind of the harsher route…”, Basil continued. “…So…”

“…You want to stay here”, Grime finished for him.

Basil’s eyes lit up and he looked at Grime afterwards.

The 3 other amphibians' eyes lit up as well.

“Uh… yeah”, Basil said. “I’m not like you, sure. But I’ve been a little used to all of you… well, some of you. And maybe because everyone doesn’t have that common ground yet. Plus, I’ve been meaning to learn a bit about this tower ever since I got here. So… if you teach me anything there is to know, I’ll do anything you want. Well, if that’s okay with you.”

Percy gasped in an ecstatic manner. “Can he, sir?”, he asked Grime. “

The captain let out a single “Hmm…”, as he thought about it. He felt a bit piqued and skeptical though, knowing that it might get crazy fast if Basil stays in the tower.

“We’ll try to teach him everything”, Braddock said to the captain.

“We won’t talk back to the others or mess up”, Percy chimes in.

And Bron nonchalantly says. “I make no promises.”

Grime looked at them… although he was a little confused by Bron's comment.

After a lot of thought, Grime decided to break his silence as he reached a verdict in his mind.

“Well… I do need a little help to keep these three in check sometimes”, the captain said, a bit reluctantly, which then faded into a bit of seriousness in his face. “Also… we need a lot of help in rebuilding the tower.”

Grime then walked up to Basil as he continued talking. “Fine. You can stay here, and I can instruct you on everything there is to know here, as long as you serve as a soldier here.”

The captain then walked past Basil as he looks at the horizon, having a set-on smile and his hands behind his back. “And when we are done here, you, me and everyone here, even the entire garrison will march on the valley and try to restore order to everyone, and everything here in Amphibia.”

Grime then looked back at Basil with his fists on his hips, still smiling. “Now… how does that sound?”, he asked him.

Basil thinks about Grime’s condition for a second, then he cracks a smile on his face. He looks at Grime and says, “…I think I can live with that.”

“Then, with that being said, come soldier. We have much to discuss”, Grime said to Basil as he was about to head inside the tower.

Bron chuckled a bit as he followed Grime inside the tower. “Uh, yeah. Like tomorrow.”

Percy followed them as well, catching up with them. “Well, here’s hoping that there’s still more beetle mead left!”

Basil is somehow left a bit confused at the banter. He looked at Braddock and said to her, “Uh… is it always going to be like this?”

Braddock chuckled a little, regarding Basil’s question.

“Well, sometimes”, she said. “But I think you might wanna get used to it. You’re gonna be stuck with us for a while.”

Braddock began to follow the other three amphibians, leaving Basil the last one who is about to enter the tower.

Before he headed inside, Basil turned his head to the horizon. He already warmed up with Percy and Braddock, and even Bron if he can think about it. And he even warmed up with Captain Grime as well, even though they started off on rocky terms.

But the whole tower, as well as the whole army? It’s gonna take a lot for him to do that.

The toad got the ‘take a breather’ part after his long trek… but the part where he made the decision to stay at the tower? He hoped that he made the right choice about this.

Basil took a deep breath and said to himself, “Yes… yes I am…”, before heading inside the tower along with the others.

Looks like he’s gonna have a little fun with this place.