Another Friend in Amphibia

Chapter 12: Becoming a Battle Queen

Sasha heard someone screaming. "AHHHHH!" It was getting louder.

Before Sasha could move, a toad fell on top of her. The sudden impact caused her to fall face first into the ground. "I fell from the roof, and I got her sir!" the toad shouted triumphantly.

Without acknowledging the soldier, Captain Grime leaned down to Sasha's level. "You've come far enough creature. It may surprise you to know I have a lead on the whereabouts of one of your friends and was about to tell you."

"Where?" Sasha asked, lying still on the ground.

Captain Grime chose to give her an ultimatum. "Before I tell you, I need to ask a few questions. This is your last chance beast. Be careful how you answer because if I don't like it, there will be dire consequences. Now who-"

"Sent me? No one. How'd I get here? Don't know. What do I want? To find my friends and go home. Haven't we been through this enough?" Sasha answered preemptively with sass in her voice. Captain Grime had threatened to physically torture her on several occasions. So far, he hadn't acted on any of those threats. As far as Sasha was concerned, he was all talk. Unfortunately, this time the teen may have finally struck a nerve.

Captain Grime growled. "Don't say I didn't warn you. Guards! Take her out to the swamp. Then leave her there chained up. She has tried my patience for far too long."

Sasha noticed a bunch of toads carrying shackles approaching. "Wait! You can't do this! I don't know anything!"

Captain Grime raised his voice. "It doesn't matter anymore! Take her away!"

Sasha knew what Captain Grime was doing. This was her death sentence. Sasha was going to be slaughtered in a strange world at the hands of monstrous creatures. Worst of all, her friends won't make it without her guidance. If they weren't already dead, they soon will be. No, she could not let that happen.

"No!" Sasha summoned whatever strength she could and threw the toad off. The group stood back.

Captain Grime was at first shocked but regained his composure. He started barking orders. "What are you all waiting for? Restrain her!"

The toads began dogpiling on Sasha. In a few seconds, there were at least ten toads. The sheer weight of their bodies forced her back to the ground. She continued to struggle against the toads. Although she was the strongest out of all her friends, even surpassing Drake, there were simply too many toads for her to lift. She could give up right now and accept whatever happens next, but she refused. For Sasha, this was a life-or-death situation that would not only affect her but also her friends. She refused to give up. Sasha's eyes began to glow pink. "Rgg! Agh!" with one decisive move, she stood up, sending the toads flying in every direction. Almost immediately, Sasha lost all her newfound strength and nearly collapsed as a result.

Captain Grime noticed his heart was pumping extremely fast. He hadn't been this nervous since his time in the colosseum. Sasha was such a lithe creature, but she was a lot stronger than she looked. She could be worth something.

Before anyone could do anything else, someone was ringing the alarm bells. "Alarm! Something is coming!" the guard yelled.

"Close the gates!" Captain Grime ordered.

A few toads that hadn't been flung started running but none of them would reach it in time. The door was knocked off its hinges by two massive quadrupedal lizards about the size of lions. Behind them were five smaller lizards about the size of a golden retriever. At the back of the group were two really small lizards, about the size of a small dog like a shih tzu. They began to split up and rampage throughout the fortress, knocking over objects and attack anyone that would try to stop them.