Mark clapped in response.
Mark: Congrats! On whatever that is. I'm just doing my own thing as usual.
Anne looked at mark and squinted at him for some time. Then she looked at the map on the floor.
Anne: Where do you go? You usually aren't here most of the time.
Mark: It sounds like one of those anime journeys. You sure?
Anne nods her head.
Mark: Ehem, I'm training around the strongest people in amphibia.
Anne gasped
Anne: But why?
Mark started etching grief on his face.
Mark: ... Self Defense.
Anne: So that's a map of the places you need to visit?
Mark: Yep. Got if from salamanders.
Anne looks at mark before leaving and says one more thing.
Anne: You should come to the party for me. I hope you're there.
Anne leaves and mark is there in thought. Mark got up and walked a few steps forward. Then something happened. The floorboards disintegrated and the bricks moved into a space behind them. The entire basement turned into a blue space with black stars.
Mark: WHAT THE FUCK?!
The space reformed and turned into a room with a small dragon with blue eyes.
???: Hello.
Mark: Who are you?! What just happened?!
Mark went on like this for awhile
???: I'm the cosmic guardian, call me Tones. I've just brought you here for awhile.
Mark: So you're god? Am I dead?
Tones: You aren't dead. I mean you can't die anyway.
Mark raised an eyebrow but ignored it.
Mark: Why am I here?
Tones: I'm to accompany you. I see you as someone who could possibly succeed me as the new guardian. Also, you were very interesting to me!
Mark: How so?
Tones: That will be talked about later. But you'll see me out there. Hopefully, I'll find a successor in you or Anne.
Mark: How's Anne related in this?
Before he was heard, the room reverted to the basement. The small dragon was gone and had appeared in front of him, sleeping.
Mark looked at it with a wry smile. It was cute to see it sleeping. He would have enjoy the moment but screams filled outside.
Mark: The hell?
Mark grabbed his dual blades and ran out the plantar family home. Outside was smoke, some embers, and the sound of marching.
Mark: NO!
Mark (Thinking): Was it Tones doing?!
Mark ran to the town as fast as he could to see toads marching into town.
Mark: Where's the leader?!
He looked everywhere until he reached outside the town. Seeing Anne and a human that could only fill him with rage. With sheer hatred.
Mark: Sasha. Cursed.
Mark transformed for the first time in weeks. His transformation was different. It was less human and more beastly.
Mark (Thinking): I'll act like an animal for some time. Til then I'll free every frog here.
He went back to wartwood and with his new speed, plus running on all fours got him there in seconds. He found every frog guarded by toad guards.
Mark: RAHH!!!
Mark ran into the toads and spewed fire at everyone. The toads ran at the sight of it and dispersed. The frogs already knew who it was. In response, they cheered.
Mark: Let's go! Now!
Mark pulled his compass out and blew on it. The gate of fire opened. He opened it for everyone so they didn't get burned
Mark: Go in! It leads to the plantar house! You can be safe there!
All the frogs went into the door without question.
Mark: GO GO GO!
All the frogs went in and finally there was no one left. He ran back to where Anne and Sasha were. The plantars were there now and a toad army.
Mark: I'll just spectate for now. When things get bad I'll join in.
He watched the scene and saw them go to town.
Anne: Where did everyone go?!
Sasha: We can find them with the help of everyone at the tower! Get a search party and everything! Come on!
Hop pop: I don't know. Maybe we should look around.
Anne: Sorry Sash, I'm with hop pop on this one.
Sasha: Anne, we are going to the tower.
Anne: But-
Sasha: End. Of. Discussion.
Anne sighed and went away with Sasha. Sprig saw this and got suspicious. They walked back to the outskirts of the town to see a carriage. The carriage went all the way to the southern toad tower. They went into the tower and Mark followed. By the time everyone was inside, a party was happening. Hop pop, sprig, and Polly partied a little while Anne and Sasha went into a different room. Mark snuck in and listened to the conversation in the room.
Anne: When do we send the search party?
Sasha: Soon. For now, let's talk. How you been girlfriend?
Anne: It's been a weird few months- ah! Are those waffles?! I've been eating bugs for months!
Mark (Thinking): Those exist here?! I ate bug, fish bones, and bug juice for nothing?!
Sasha: Yeah. And once it's over, you don't have to again.
Anne: Once what's over?
Sasha: Oh the rebellion.
Mark (Thinking)/Anne: The what now?
Sasha: You don't know about the rebellion? Look, I'll explain. Just promise not to freak out or anything.
Anne: Uh, Okay.
Sasha: So you've probably already noticed that the toads in this valley have one job: to rule over the frogs. And lately, those frogs have been stepping outta line. It turns out these rebels have been inspired by a certain frog. You might just know him. Stood up to some tax collectors, even ran for mayor against the local toad.
Anne: What?! Hop pop isn't a revolutionary!
Mark (Thinking): Old dude's a revolutionary?!
Sasha: Doesn't matter. Word has traveled like wildfire, and we've got to make an example out of him. So, the toads are just gonna feed him to that thing.
Anne gasped
Sasha: Okay, here's the thing. I struck a deal with Grime. I'd help him capture Hop Pop and crush the rebellion, and Grime and his army will help us find a way home. I was planning on setting up a party but everyone was gone. However Hop Pop is still here. Now we've got that slimy frog right where we want him. Isn't this great?
Anne: Uh, I gotta go to the roomrest, I mean, the restroom.
Anne opened the door leading out the room to meet Mark. She was going to scream but mark covered her mouth. He made the gesture to be quiet. Anne walked away from the room.
Anne: How did you get here?
Mark: I followed you alright? For now we gotta move on. Hop pop is gonna get killed any second. I have my compass with me so we can teleport back to wartwood. Just get them here and we can get out of here.
Anne: What are you going to do:
Mark: I'm gonna burn this place to the ground.
Anne. No, There are people here!
Mark: If I don't, they'll need to regroup another place. This is to buy time. Unless you can get everyone out of here when this place burns, we have no other choices.
Anne: What can we do?
Mark: We can die here or live another day with close to zero casualties
Anne: There has to be another way!
Mark sighed
Mark: For all we know they'll evacuate the tower and go outside. If you want to save everyone, this is it.
Anne wanted to fight back but knew there was no way to save everyone
Anne: Alright...
Anne ran around the tower in search for hop pop and mark went to the bottom of the tower. He looked everywhere he could only to find finding crates of explosives and rope in the main hall
Mark: This works.
He placed the crates around the tower and had a rope to control when to blow the place up. He moved back to the meeting place. Anne was nowhere to be seen.
Mark: Where the hell is she?!
Mark heard marching coming from above with pleads from the plantars.
Mark: Top of the tower.