Sasha lazily scrolled through the images on her phone. It was mostly pictures of her time in Amphibia. The first time she donned her armor, the day she got her pink heron sword. How did she ever find herself in this situation? A question that she had been pondering ever since the start of the siege.
Percy and Braddock had left refusing to take part in the takeover of Newtopia. Who knows if she'll ever see them again. Anne declared the end of their friendship and who knows what Marcy thinks of her now. Maybe Marcy had a similar feeling. The only one who was still on her side was Drake and he wasn't exactly enthusiastic about what happened.
A part of Sasha wanted to march out to the walls at that moment. She secretly wished a stray arrow would hit her somehow. That way all this could finally be over.
Newtopian horns sounded which broke her out of those thoughts. Sasha ran out of her tent expecting another enemy raid on the camp at worst. The camp was oddly calm though. This was confusing. She looked around and most of the soldiers were acting as though nothing was wrong. The commanders on the other hand were staring at the gates at a distance.
"What's going on?" Sasha asked.
Grime turned around. "The newts are sending a champion to face us," he explained.
In front of the Great Gates of Newtopia. A single newt appeared to be addressing a crowd of people on top of the wall.
"So they sent out one person. Big deal, there's like thousands of us," Sasha brushed it off.
"They are sending their greatest warrior out to prove their superiority. We should send our own champion," Captain Bufo suggested.
"Seriously? What would that accomplish?" Sasha asked.
"It will lower the morale of the newts. It may even convince them to surrender," Grime explained.
"This sounds like a waste of time. Let's just shoot that champion with arrows and forget about all this," Sasha declared.
"This is a time-honored tradition during sieges. To show our own superiority, we send our chosen warrior to kill their chosen warrior," Captain Bufo explained.
"Why do you think I had you duel against Anne back at Toad Tower?" Grime asked. "The defeat of their champion would have broken their spirit and cowed any future resistance."
"I'm surprised we have to explain all this to you," Captain Bufo said.
Sasha felt a knife in her heart. That duel at Toad Tower was an unpleasant memory she wished she could forget. She shook her head, trying to push that image away. "Who are we going to send out?" Sasha asked.
"I was once the fiercest fighter in the colosseum. I'll take care of this." Grime readied his warhammer.
"Wait! You're a key figure in the rebellion. We can't risk having you out there," Sasha protested.
"Then I'll do it." Captain Bufo declared; he drew a katana.
Sasha put her hand in front of him, stopping him from walking. "No, you're also a commander. If we lose you, we're in trouble. We need a champion who isn't an officer. Is there anyone in the army who can fight?"
"If I may. I'll fight on your behalf my queen," a voice suddenly said.
Sasha looked behind her and noticed a small blue toad. He looked rather rough but still incredibly strong. Although Sasha was much larger than this toad, she found him somewhat intimidating.
"Who the heck are you?" Sasha asked cautiously.
"Kharak, at your service my queen. If you need a champion to fight this duel. I can do it for you." the blue toad offered.
Sasha looked to Grime who nodded. She certainly didn't expect a volunteer so soon and she certainly didn't expect her champion to be a random toad who moments before was just another faceless soldier in a crowd.
Sasha looked back at her volunteer. This was a rather weird situation to be in, but everyone seemed to approve. Yet for some reason, curiosity got the better of her. "So, Kharak... why do you want to go out there? You know it could be dangerous, right?"
Kharak appeared to be surprised by the question. Yet he chose to answer anyway. He placed one hand to his chest as if to salute. "My queen, I have taken an oath of combat. It will be my honor to fight on your behalf."
"Right..." Sasha smiled awkwardly. "What is an oath of combat?" Sasha whispered to Grime.
Grime whispered back. "It is an ancient tradition among the toads. When a toad believes he has nothing left to live for he takes the oath of combat. He then spends the rest of his life honing his skills and wandering Amphibia looking for dangerous monsters to kill. The goal is to find an enemy too powerful to defeat. It is a way to atone for whatever you have done."
Sasha frowned. The toad was basically trying to commit suicide by dying in battle. Something that she had considered a few times during the siege. "Why did you take the oath of combat?"
Kharak was silent for a moment. "With all due respect my queen. I'd rather not discuss that right now. I promise I will fight, and I will defeat their champion or die trying."
Sasha was a little disappointed by the answer, but she didn't feel like pressing the issue any further. She looked at him and gestured towards the Great Gates of Newtopia. "Good luck."
On top of the Great Walls of Newtopia, a crowd of people had gathered. Polly herself was very much interested in this duel and had been looking forward to it for days. Anne and the Plantars watched from afar, unsure of how this would play out.
"I am Mora! The Master of Arms in the Great Newtopian Army!" the newt champion declared. "The toads may believe they are the greatest warriors in Amphibia! Yet they hone their skills on wild animals and frogs who have never held weapons in their lives! Today their greatest warrior will pay the price for they have never faced Newtopian discipline!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd, even Polly joined in. Hop Pop on the other hand couldn't bear to look while Sprig had a nervous face. Meanwhile, Anne wasn't sure what to make of this. She didn't know who Sasha would send out to do her dirty work.
A single blue toad walked on the ankle high water. The toads have chosen their champion and it was time to fight.
The two sides approached each other. Both of them doing a series of gestures with their weapons in an effort to intimidate the other.
Mora remained discipline and focused. She kept a large shield in front of her with a sword ready to swing behind it.
Kharak on the other hand continued to circle his opponent. He growled menacingly while slowly scratching two small axes with each other.
Then it began. Kharak leaped forward in an attempt to land the first strike. His axes hit the shield and bounced off.
Mora moved forward, making sure the shield was always between her and her opponent. Then she stabbed forward, aiming for his stomach.
Kharak rolled away and quickly recovered.
Mora did not relent. She ran towards him, hoping to knock him off balance with her shield.
Kharak noticed this and prepared a new plan. Once again he leaped in her direction. Yet he wasn't aiming for her this time.
Mora raised her shield yet again and braced herself for impact. Yet it never came. She looked up and saw the toad had leaped over her. She tried to maneuver her shield to face him but there was no time.
Kharak threw an axe, hitting her in the head. Mora's body fell to the ground. The blood mixed with the shallow water and rapidly spread. He did not waste any time savoring his victory. The toad champion retrieved the axe and wordlessly returned to the toad siege camp.
The whole battlefield was silent. It was so quiet, a buzzing fly could have been heard. Then a cheer erupted from the toad siege camp. The crowd began to disperse and the residents returned to their homes with no one daring to talk about the duel.
Far away in Frog Valley. The newly rebuilt Toad Tower stood strong. The symbol of toad power was back and Marcy was there to meet its leader. A tiny newt and a large toad stood at the gates ready to meet her.
"Greetings! I've come bearing a letter from the king!" Marcy announced, holding out the letter for them to take.
"Jacinda! Read it!" the toad captain said.
The tiny newt took the letter and unsealed it. "To the leader of the Southern Toad Army, Captain Bog." She then paused, reading the rest before continuing. "The capital is under attack by forces from the other towers. The king is calling for us to march towards Newtopia and break the siege. Apparently, the traitor Grime is leading the attack."
"Grime? That softie? No way he could do something like that," Captain Bog said.
"An order is an order. However, most of our soldiers are out fighting the rebellion. Recalling them will take time," Jacinda explained.
Marcy waved her hand. "That's alright, King Andrias told me to accompany you all the way to Newtopia. If we need to wait, I can wait."
"What? I don't need help from a human!" Bog roared.
"The king himself has ordered Marcy accompany us back to Newtopia. Would you refuse an order from the king?" Jacinda stared up at the toad. It was clearly a threat and she wanted to see his reaction.
"Of course not," Captain Bog said.
Unbeknownst to them. A witch was watching them from behind the trees. She did not understand what was going on but one thing was clear. She needed to find Grime and warn him of the incoming danger.
Author's Note
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Here we are. You would not believe what it took just to get time to write this chapter. I got sick and I didn't get better for weeks. I seriously can't believe how bad it was. At least it's here now. This is a much longer chapter than the last few. Hope you enjoyed it.
So I killed off the first character. Like I said, I was going to start off small but I still have quite a few names on the kill list. I needed Mora to be taken off the board first so she is the first name I crossed off.
As for Kharak. He's a new character for the fanfic. I am debating whether or not to develop him more. He was meant to be a homage to my current Baldur's Gate 3 character and so far the only character I have committed to a long play through with. A dwarf barbarian that later becomes a fighter. I love that game.
Apologies for the slow upload pace but scheduling is a little tight. Not only that but I've been trying to improve my writing quality.