The Last Stand of Hop Pop
Randy training was not an unusual sight, but this time he was pushing himself even further. He stomped forward, slicing the air with his fire sword as it left a trail of fire behind him. He swung his sword following the steps of the dance the Ninjanomicon had instructed him. Each step made his blood boil, keeping him following an intense rhythm that burnt everything near him. Randy performed the same form over and over, maintaining the breathing that had given him the victory against the oni and the three yokai under his command. He swiftly moved from one step to the next, speeding his steps and swinging with the power of fire behind every single one of his moves.
He jumped high about to perform the last strike when he felt his body cramp up. His limbs stiffened up, feeling his chest tightening like someone had punched mid-breath. His state made him drop his sword and fall down to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Like a candle burning on both ends, Randy had met his limit with the Dance of Fire. The rhythm of the breathing was far more intense than what he'd been used to and the fire sword felt even heavier whenever he ignited it. Like a flame trying to consume the match that lit it faster than it should, Randy could only use that power up to a certain point. It almost felt like the sword itself was fighting him whenever he wielded it.
Randy sighed, wondering what he was doing wrong. The power of the sword was unlike anything he'd ever felt. It made him feel as close to a Mystic Warrior as he had ever been, but even with all his training, he still felt like a rookie when he used it. He could only imagine the discipline it took for some of his ancestors to carry that sword into battle. They would've been amazing to watch. If anything, that image only encouraged him to grow stronger.
"Yo Randy, are you still alive?" Anne showed her face over his own, blocking the sun.
"I'm still breathing, but I'm beat," Randy admitted. "Feels like my arms are made out of rocks." Anne helped him get back on his feet.
"Well, maybe this is your body telling you to take it easy," Anne suggested. "You've been training and practicing non-stop. That's gotta be bad for you."
"Okay, I can build on this," Randy said, finally feeling his body going back to normal. "My body can withstand the Dance of Fire and its breathing style for about five minutes, should be plenty if I spread it around. The yokai have been getting very hectic as of late. So, how are you?"
"You know me, pretty chill. Fully healed and everything." Anne showed off her arms free of cuts. "See something you like?"
Randy blushed, not knowing how to answer that question.
"Kids! We're going to the market!" Hop Pop called to them from afar. "And I need the extra help to carry the produce!"
"Ugh! Do we have to?!" Anne shouted back.
"No sales, no food for us to eat!" Hop Pop replied.
Anne sighed in defeat.
"Coming, Hop Pop." She walked towards the wagon to help the Plantars load up the veggies they were going to sell.
As she walked away, Randy's eyes centered on her retreating form. Ever since meeting her, it had been one adventure after another, and that was something he would treasure in his heart. But there was still a lot he didn't know about Anne, the only other human in all of Amphibia. She'd mentioned her friends and he'd caught a glimpse of them in her pictures and how they were like teenagers should be back on Earth. But there was something else. He had his suspicions and they couldn't be ignored.
Anne wasn't like anyone he'd ever met. She was equal parts all heart and ready to stand up for others but also wanted to be lazy and just enjoy life. Being near her was like standing next to someone that knew you all your life and made you feel happy to just be near them. But that didn't change the fact that she was hiding something.
Randy remembered the battle against the oni. The brief flash of blue he'd seen had come from Anne herself. He didn't know what that had been but it wasn't a normal human thing. The power, he sensed it back then and it felt like a wave of pure energy washing over him. And as quickly as it had done that, it had become hidden once more. Could she have Mystic Powers? And if she did, how did she get them? Was it possible that it had something to do with how she got to Amphibia?
"Yo, Randy!"
"Huh?" Randy shook his head, snapping himself out of his thoughts.
"Didn't you hear me call you?" Anne asked, looking at him. "Come give us a hand with these boxes. Wait, were you checking me out?"
"What?! Um, no, I was, um, just looking in that direction and trying to get my bearings back! Yeah, that's it!" Randy's face lit up as red as his scarf.
He didn't know what was going on with himself, stumbling on his words and trying to save face like he had been caught trying to eat the last cookie.
However, Anne only shrugged.
"Hey man, it's cool. I mean, I am the only human girl you've seen," Anne said. "It makes sense that you'd be interested in me. But let's take it slow, we're just friends at the moment." She turned her head away just in time for her to blush.
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Anne." Randy picked himself up, dusting himself. "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." He muttered in whispers.
Randy felt like he'd made a huge fool of himself as he helped everyone load up the wagon. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Maybe he needed to be more careful in the future. Though looking at Anne wasn't a bad thing… For safety's sake of course! Nothing more innocent than that. He jumped on the back of the wagon as Bessie set off to the market, watching the farm grow smaller as they went on.
Maybe Randy was overthinking things. Maybe he was imagining things. He closed his eyes, letting his ears listen to the sound of the valley. He even heard the sound of buzzing nearby.
However, it wasn't just the sound of regular old buzzing…
The Wartwood Market was the cornerstone of the farming community of the town. There were stalls selling all kinds of vegetables, meals, meats, and produced goods that every single one of the farmers had made and prepared to make a living. It was no different from a farmer's market back on Earth according to Anne, but it didn't take away from the market having its own flavor of interest. It was the core of the town's economy apart from anything that they sold to travelers and the other towns in the valley. It kept the money flowing and everyone getting their needs met. Plus, it had the choice of getting some delicious treats on special occasions.
"A the Wartwood's Farmer's Market," Spig sighed with excitement. "The one place to get all the stuff from all the corners of the valley is right here. And there's nothing better than free samples." Sprig hopped around the stalls until he reached a stall that had delicious jellies for sale.
He snatched one of the jars and gulped down the contents of the very sweet marmalade that it held. However, the owner of the stand wasn't all that happy about that.
"That wasn't a sample." A large brutish frog that looked about ready to crack skulls as the next gladiator growled with a voice as deep as a pond was muddy.
Sprig's eyes shrunk at the sight of the big bruiser. He silently spat out all the jam from his mouth, refilling the jar with it. With a sheepish smile and an awkward gesture of innocence, he placed the jar back on the stand. But all he got was the stand owner pulling out a battle axe, making it clear that he did not accept vomited returns of the product.
"Sorry." Sprig squeaked before placing some coppers on the stand and hopping away for his life.
Randy, Anne and Hop Pop finished setting up the stand and all the vegetable products that they'd brought. Sprig joined them up after he fled the frog with the battle axe and a nasty glare.
It was a pretty normal day if they were honest. Just stand around, sell the produce and then rake in the winnings to then do it again the next day. It was not very glamorous but it was a way of life of every farmer in Wartwood.
Saidie Croaker walked up to the stand, picking up a gourd from one of the baskets.
"I'll have this one, Hoppedaiha." Mrs. Croaker handed the gourd to Hop Pop.
"Oh, do I smell a famous Croaker gourd soup coming up?" Hop Pop asked before he noticed something off about the veggie. "Hang on." He knocked on the gourd, getting a hollow noise coming from it.
He cracked it open, revealing a large maggot.
"As I suspected, a gourd maggot!" Hop Pop said as the maggot scurried over and tried to crawl into Anne's hair.
"Ah! It's in my hair! It's in my hair!" Anne screamed as the maggot tried to hide.
"Anne, hold still!" Randy tried snatching the damn thing off of her, but her dancing and jumping was not making it easy.
Randy grabbed the maggot off of Anne's back before throwing it to the swamp.
"Nice reflexes, kid," Polly said.
"Here you go, try this one maggot free." Hop Pop handed Mrs. Croaker a different gourd.
"Thank you, Hoppedaiah. I've been coming to this stand since back when your father was running it and it's never let me down." Mrs. Croaker handed Hop Pop the coppers for the vegetable. "You Plantars really live up to your product's quality."
"It is as it says on the sign, Mrs. Croaker." Hop Pop pointed to the sign on top of the stand. "'Plantar produce, so honest you can really taste the Plantar.'"
"I remember making a cannibal joke about it when I first heard it," Randy whispered. "It still sounds like it."
"Wasn't funny back then either, Randy," Hop Pop said.
Randy shrugged as more clients and residents came by to purchase their weekly vegetables and food from the stands. It all seemed to be too calm and in Wartwood that kind of calm didn't last long for everyone.
"Urgent news! A special announcement for all stand owners from Mayor Toadstool!" Toadie came in with papers to give to all the farmers.
"What do you think that is?" Anne asked.
"If it's urgent and from Toadstool then it can't be good." Randy crossed his arms, wondering what the paper might be about.
"Oh calm down, Randy. Sure, Mayor Toadstool is as likable as a tick but he doesn't harm anyone," Hop Pop said as Toadie handed him one of the papers. "Now, let's see what we've got here."
Hop Pop put on his reading glasses and calmly read through the paper. However, his calmness left his face when he finished reading the whole document.
"Say wha?! Mayor Toadstool is quadrupling the taxes on the stands and the next payment is next week!" Hop Pop screamed in shock.
The news wasn't appreciated by the other owners. They couldn't believe that they were getting another tax raise at such a short time. At this rate several of the stands were going to be bled dry.
"That can't be." Randy took the paper. "How much are you already paying for stand taxes?"
"Three hundred coppers and if they're doubled… I can't afford that!" Hop Pop cried out.
Randy looked around and everyone wasn't like this one bit. The raising of the taxes was nothing new but it was often done to get extra money to help the town with some problem or issue that they couldn't afford with the reserves. And Wartwood was not short on issues that needed to be resolved, from the potholes on the streets to the school that had collapsed due to a centipede attack and had not been rebuilt. But to suddenly raise the taxes like that would leave a good portion of the town with nothing until the harvest. He didn't like this at all.
"Let's go talk to Toadstool, this can't be real," Randy said.
Randy walked up to Toadie, picking him up by the back of his suit.
"Oh hey, Randy, I was just looking for you," Toadie said.
"Funny, I was looking for Toadstool. What's with all the tax raises out of nowhere?" Randy asked.
"And no funny excuses," Sprig added.
"Come on, Toadie, spit it out," Anne said.
"Guys, guys, I can assure you that these taxes will go to very effective projects to make Wartwood a gleaming town," Toadie said, trying to appear cool under pressure. "Mayor Toadstool has all sorts of plans to put all that money to good use."
"Wasn't he going to be kicked out after he failed to make Anne into a star with her pimples?" Sprig asked.
"My fifteen minutes of fame." Anne cried a little. "I'll miss you. And the jacuzzi."
"Oh that was a one time thing, and the mayor has worked out those issues," Toadie said. "You have the Mayor's word that these taxes are going to go to a very very good cause. Besides, we've received some yokai sightings that need to be looked into." Toadie pulled out a report.
Randy looked at the report with a narrowed frown. They seemed to be at an impasse to see what Toadstool's game was. All seemed to be done under the right channels and they had no evidence of there being any reason that Toadstool was doing anything fishy with the extra taxes. All they could do was deal with the issues they were presented with.
Randy dropped Toadie as they all made their way back to the Plantar stand.
"Did you guys get any information?" Hop Pop asked.
"Usual political slang," Anne replied.
"There's also some yokai sightings that they want me to look into," Randy said. "Some farmers have been hearing some spooky things near their farms. They could be hearing wild animals, but I got to look at it."
"Oh that's all we needed," Hop Pop sighed. "The stand is doomed."
"It looks like we have to start working on getting that extra scratch. But don't worry guys, I've got an idea." Anne snapped her fingers as everyone looked at her with curiosity. "Look, all we need to do is get more buyers and more coppers in record time. The simple answer, a special sale of something that no one has ever heard of. Observe!"
Anne took the old gourd from the stand and crushed all the juice out of it. She filled up a spare jar with the juice before presenting it to the Plantars.
"Tada!" Anne held up the jar. "I give you Plantar's Potion. The next big thing in healthy drinks! Everyone back home goes crazy for these things, and there's no reason that it won't work here. You just got to sell this as the next big product and the people will not be able to get enough of it." Anne handed the jar with the juice to Hop Pop like it was just any other drink.
Hop Pop looked it over. He didn't see what the big deal was with just a jar of gourd juice. He took a sip from it. It was tasty and all that, but he still didn't see how it would work.
"I mean, sure, it's tasty but how will this work out?" Hop Pop asked.
"We make juice out of the products that we can't sell and we create another product that people will want to buy," Anne explained. "You just got to sell it."
Hop Pop looked at everyone else for some back up or counter argument but none of them had one.
"It couldn't hurt to try," Sprig said.
"Well, here goes," Hop Pop said.
He turned to the crowd of people, clearing his throat. Everyone turned to look at him with curiosity.
"People of Wartwood, I give you Plantar's Potion!" Hop Pop called out, raising the jar up. "The next big thing from the Plantar stand!"
"What's so big about it?" Wally asked.
"Well, it tastes good," Hop Pop said.
"And?" Mrs. Sundew asked.
"Um," Hop Pop didn't know what to say about it.
"Hold that thought." Anne pulled Hop Pop away from the ears of the other frogs. "Hop Pop, you gotta sell this stuff. You gotta give them a reason to want to buy the potion. You know, make promises that you can't prove or disprove. That sort of junk."
Hop Pop's eyes widened at the sound of that.
"But that would mean being dishonest," Hop Pop whispered. "What about the stand motto?"
"Hop Pop, if we don't get the money, there might not be a stand left by next week," Anne countered. "Besides, it's just for a little while until we get the extra money. No one is saying that it needs to cure cancer."
Hop Pop didn't know what cancer was, but it sounded serious. He took a look at the stand, one, if not his major source of income for the farm and his family. If it went then they would struggle to make ends meet and then that would mean that he'd failed in protecting his family, including Anne and Randy. No parental figure would ever allow four kids to go hungry. So, just this time, he would stretch the truth.
He turned back to the crowd of frogs that were gathered to hear more about the potion.
"Friends, as I was saying, I give you Plantar's Potion! The next big thing in the world of drinkable vegetables!" Hop Pop showed off the jar. "One of these drinks is enough to fill you up, give you energy, and make sure the little ones eat their vegetables!"
The crowd started loving the sales pitch. They started going to the stand, asking for Plantar's Potion. Sprig and Polly started making more and more jars of the juices of some of their stock and selling them like hot bread. Everyone was paying through the nose for the jars and all to the shock of both Hop Pop and Randy.
"I can't believe this is happening!" Hop Pop said. "It's a miracle!"
"Wow, are those things really like this back on Earth?" Randy asked Anne. "Do they really work?"
"No idea, dude. For all I know, those things are no different than a veggie smoothie," Anne shrugged.
Randy's jaw almost went limp from the revelation. His mind immediately figured out what they were doing. They were basically selling snake oil to all the people of Wartwood while making it seem like real medicine. His code told him he needed to give Anne a stern talking to. But Hop Pop got between them with a smile on his face.
"We hit the motherload!" Hop Pop jumped on top of the stand, snatching two jars from the stand. "Come here, come all! Plantar's Potion is the drink you need! And if you want even more of the goodness that makes the potion special, try our vegetables! They are the raw ingredients that make the magic happen! You want carrots for your eyes? We got 'em! You want some beans? We got them too! And if you want some squash for your bash? You can get them too!" Hop Pop smiled as the rest of the crowd was almost throwing money at them for the veggies and the juices.
Randy wanted to say something, but he couldn't deny the results. It was almost scary to see how much one product could change a person. But at the very least at this rate, they would be able to get enough money to save the stand. He sighed knowing that this couldn't get worse than it was.
He turned to Anne, who was smiling at him with a smug look.
"Okay, you win. Keep an eye on them while I go check on the yokai sightings, okay?" Randy asked.
"You can count on me, Randy." Anne gave him a thumbs up for good luck.
Randy looked away, putting on his mask to avoid his blush from getting spotted. He wasn't sure why but he wanted to keep his cool with Anne at all times. Maybe it was a normal human thing that she was always going on about? He shook his head before heading to the farms where the sightings had happened.
But he was unaware that the troubles were much closer than he knew.
Randy found himself in the fields of one of the farms of Wartwood, kneeling next to the signs of yokai. Many of the vegetables and fruits in the field were punctured and drained of all their juices. Some were even rotten from the inside. And it wasn't just the fields that had been drained and turned to husks, some of the cattle were also drained of their blood. He looked back at the farming frogs who pointed back to the swamp.
"And you say you heard the sound of wings buzzing?" Randy asked.
"Yep, heard it last night and then rushed off to the swamp." The frog farmer pointed. "Some say that it was the size of a fully grown killerpilla moth! The frog next door said it had large stingers coming from its back and was ready to devour anything in sight."
"I see," Randy said. "I'll go take a look. You stay here until I return, lock up the rest of your cattle inside if you can." Randy walked into the swamp, ready to find the beast and strike it down.
It didn't take a genius to guess what the creature was: an insect yokai. And this one that had developed a taste for the taste of blood. If it was attacking cattle now, it wouldn't be long until it moved on to amphibians. He had to find it's nest and drive them off with something strong.
Randy's eyes moved to his sword. He'd only been able to perform the Fire Dance for a short burst, but it would have to do.
The smell of the swamp was never a pleasant one. But he'd grown around it and lived in it for ten years. He had gotten used to it and all the tricks it had. He walked calmly through the swampy land, letting his instincts guide him in his search for the yokai. He looked up at the sound of a pack of small mosquito birds taking off from a tree. The branches over his head were broken. Something big had flown past them and broken them. It was far too big to be a regular yokai. Maybe it was more than one?
A putrid stench caught his nose. Randy almost recoiled from the smell. But that was the smell of dried up blood. He turned towards it, it came from the same path as more broken branches.
Randy continued on the path, picking up speed as he followed the smell. His left hand gripped his sword as his right hand tossed his scarf up into the air. He latched on to a strong branch, pulling him up. And like a natural born frog, he jumped from tree to tree in search of the yokai. He landed on top of a branch as his eyes caught the corpse of a fresh kill. A giant lizard covered in puncture marks and the culprit still taking slurps out of it.
It was a large fly-yokai, black as cold night. Its legs were long and spider-like with a long beak that looked far too much like a spear for Randy's comfort. The wings of the fly looked like large tennis rockets attached to its back. And the eyes, they looked like bright red lanterns with red vapor coming off of them. Randy had seen the yokai before.
The creature looked at Randy, hissing like a feral beast.
"Death seeker," Randy said, standing upright. "You're a yokai that searches for rot and decay. But you don't cause it. You've gone rogue. But why?"
The yokai hissed, flying at Randy beak first.
Randy jumped high, avoiding the attack as the beak tore through the branch like a dry blade of grass. Landing on the ground, he drew his sword, his breath fiery and ready for a fight. He watched the yokai fly, turning around and coming back at him fast like an arrow being fired. Randy swung his sword at the beak, redirecting the yokai away from him. He dragged his feet as he slid to a stop while the fly shot forward at him once more. Randy jumped over the fly, bringing his sword down. His blade nicked one of the yokai's wings, making it fall down to the ground.
Randy's scarf wrapped around one of the large tree trunks, pulling himself towards it. His eyes never left the fly as it pulled itself back to its feet. The wound was small but the wing was about to be snapped if it pushed it too much. The beast hissed at the ninja as it flew straight at him once more.
"Alright, let's do this!" Randy increased the speed of his breathing. "Fire Dance!" Randy glared straight at the yokai.
Randy's breath fired up, his blood pumped fast as his grip on his sword tightened. The sword lit up in flames as he went straight for the yokai. He sprang towards it, letting it get close to him. With one mighty swing, his sword and the yokai's beak collided in an instant. Randy's fire sword sliced through the yokai fly's main weapon like a hot knife cutting through a straw. In a circular angle, Randy cut clean through the yokai, splitting it in two pieces.
"Swinging Sun!" Randy called out as he felt his warm breath came out of his mouth.
Randy skidded to a halt on the ground as the pieces of the yokai corpse fell down to the ground. He let out a breath of relief at his victory. He turned to see the corpse dissolve into the earth like an old dream in the morning.
"That should take care of that problem." Randy said as the fire sword turned off. "I can catch up with Anne and the others at the market if I hurry." Randy closed his eyes as he was about to put away his sword.
His eyes snapped open. In an instant, he bent backwards, narrowly avoiding another beak spear from piercing his body.
Another Death Seeker?!
Randy quickly unsheathed his sword once more, watching the fly go back up into the trees. His eyes went wide as he saw what was really going on.
It was a whole swarm. A small black cloud of flies circled the trees before taking off away from the scene.
Randy took on after the swarm. He looked down to his clothes and growled in displeasure. The beak cut through his shirt, barely touching his skin. But it had gotten way too close for comfort. His eyes narrowed as he jumped up to the tree branches, keeping up with the swarm.
"A whole swarm of them?" Randy growled. "Of course, that would explain all the attacks and the noise the farmers have been hearing. But what's attracting all of these damn yokai here of all places?!" Randy ran after the swarm.
The sudden appearance of a swarm of Death Seekers wasn't normal. One or two were normal, but there were very few cases recorded that spoke of a swarm as big as the one Randy was chasing after. If anything, it made him wonder what was attracting them.
His mind went back to a talk his grandfather had given him after a day of training.
Randy read through the scroll in his old home while his grandfather prepared dinner.
"Hey, grandpa, why would yokai act strange?" Randy asked.
"Sometimes yokai are attracted to something. They might be manifestations of the mystic but they tend to take three aspects that rule their roles." Nobu stirred the pot. "They develop a form, a reason and a truth that guides them. Sometimes it is due to an outside force like the burning of a forest or sometimes it is because of a wrong the yokai feel connected to or when a power upsets the balance of their domain. When they go rogue and try to harm others, that is when we must step in. And give them peace if we can."
"Form, Reason and Truth?" Randy asked as he looked at the scroll before him. "Sounds complicated."
"Everyone is complicated at some level, Randy." Nobu tasted the soup.
Randy continued jumping and swinging after the swarm. His mind raced with questions as to why the yokai were acting so strange and what had attracted them in such large numbers to Wartwood. Their attacks had been limited to fields and livestock but they were clearly emboldened with their many allies. They could attack the town at any time. He needed to get rid of them before they actually killed anyone.
He wrapped his scarf ahead of the swarm, pulling himself past them from below. He drew out his sword, using the momentum to fling himself back at them from the front. His breathing increased, lighting his sword once more. The flames of his blade sent him straight towards the swarm, spinning fast like a fiery drill of bug doom.
But at the last second, the yokai dispersed. Randy flew past them, landing back down on the ground. He bounced to a stop. He looked up to see the swarm spread out and hide deeper in the forest.
"I hope Anne and Sprig are doing better with Hop Pop and Polly than I am." Randy grunted, pulling himself back up.
"Um, what am I looking at here?" Randy asked.
"I've created a monster." Anne bit her thumb. "I'm sorry."
Hop Pop had combed back his hair, put on a hat and was swimming in Coppers like a rich cartoon duck. The Plantar's Potion had been a success and they had paid in full even more money than what Hop Pop had made in the past. He was in a money high and there was no way to tell him to stop. At least they would not be losing the stand at this rate.
"We've made over five hundred Coppers this day and we still have some stock for tomorrow!" Hop Pop cheered. "At this rate, we'll keep the stand going for another year! And we've still got a good chunk of things to sell from the farm! We'll be rich!"
"Glad you have your money, Hop Pop. But I'm afraid things aren't going to go as smoothly," Randy said. "There's a swarm of Death Seekers stalking the swamp. They're heading closer to the farm from what I saw."
Hop Pop's smile dropped faster than a heavy rain during Monsoon Season.
"Say wha?" Hop Pop asked.
"Whoa! Another yokai!" Sprig said. "That's so cool! If it wasn't slightly terrifying."
"I'm sorry, 'Death Seekers'? They sound bad," Anne said.
"They're not that bad," Sprig said. "They're bug-like yokai that are attracted to dead things, and rotten foods and scraps. They're like mosquitos and flies if they grow to the size of carts and sucked the corpses of the dead for food."
The picture was not helping Anne in any way shape or form.
"Except these ones are attacking the living and sucking their blood before they die," Randy said. "Something is attracting them to the farms and is making them act like that. If this continues, Wartwood might have a famine for the rest of the year."
"A famine! No! We can't have that!" Hop Pop jumped on top of Randy, shaking him up in fear. "We've got to do something! We need more Plantar Potion! Sprig, Polly, Anne, get a huge barrel! We'll squeeze every single drop from all our stock if we have to!" Hop Pop called out like the world was ending.
"Yeah, about that," Polly said. "What would we eat?"
That alone was enough to get Hop Pop to stop and think about his situation. He couldn't take out all his crops and make them into the potion. But he still needed the money to pay the rent for the stand. His eyes shifted in search of what he could use instead. Then he spotted it.
"Ah ha!" Hop Pop started gathering up scraps, fruit peels, garbage overall and poured it into the juicer before he started making a black sludge. "Yes, yes, yes, yes! Here's the new best thing for Plantar's Potion!"
"Is the potion part more of a poison thing?" Randy asked. "That stuff smells foul and tastes even worse I bet."
"Yeah, Hop Pop, there's selling people juice and then there's selling people garbage," Anne added.
"It kinda reeks of death, Hop Pop." Sprig covered his nose.
Hop Pop looked at it and then at the money. He looked at the amount of money that was still yet to make. They were almost there, all he needed was another day of sales and not only would he have enough for the rent but he would have money to spare. He could make sure they had the stand still around and ready for his grandkids to inherit a modicum of a steady income. The temptation was too big. He had to do this even if he had to bend the truth a little. Besides, he could always say that the new potion was a great fertilizer. He didn't have to give it to people to drink it. A genius move if he ever thought of one.
"Hop Pop!" Randy called out, getting his attention.
"What?! What did you say?" Hop Pop shook his head.
"I keep telling you to put that down. You're not selling that as a drink," Randy gave him a clear glare that the old frog couldn't help but gulp.
"Can I sell it as fertilizer?" Hop Pop asked, only getting a glare from Randy. "Okay, I will get rid of it. But what am I gonna sell?"
"Anything else," Randy said. "I'm serious, Hop Pop. If those Death Seekers smell that thing, you could lead them here to an all you can eat buffet. Keep selling your produce and the juice as normal, but don't do anything underhanded when you're almost at the finish."
Hop Pop looked at the stand and the family motto. With a sad sigh, he tossed the black liquid away. There had to be something better than this.
"Okay, we'll try to get by like normal," Hop Pop said.
Randy felt bad about telling off Hop Pop like that. He knew that the old frog was just trying to look out for his family, but it was not worth sacrificing the honesty he lived through all his days.
"You think he'll be okay?" Anne asked Randy.
"He just needed to get his head down from the salesman high. I've seen a lot of hoax sellers that sold nothing but water to people that needed medicine without a care," Randy said. "The difference being that he is desperate and they wanted a quick buck. If he needs help, I can give him some money."
"You're a sweet guy, Randy." Anne patted him on the back. "But you should've seen Hop Pop as a salesman. He was on fire, making promises, and getting people to buy the drink like their lives depended on it, it was amazing to look at. And a little terrifying."
Randy chuckled at Anne's words. Maybe he had just been overthinking things with her and the light he'd seen. Anne was pretty sincere with who she was, even if she did keep a few secrets to herself. But he couldn't fault her for that.
The next day came by quickly, Hop Pop and the Plantars were selling some more of the normal veggie juice while getting more Coppers for the rent. Anne kept her eyes open as she and Randy looked for any signs of the rogue yokai.
"Anything?" Randy asked.
"Nothing yet, dude," Anne replied. "Where could a cloud full of flies be hiding?"
"I checked the farms this morning, they seemed to be heading to the farm, but now they changed their path." Randy pulled out a map with marks. "Something here must be attracting them. Not sure what though."
Nothing really stood out. There were no signs of dead bodies or rotten food that would attract the yokai. So what made them turn from the farms to the center of town? What was-?
The sound of buzzing caught Randy's attention.
"You hear that?" Randy asked.
"It sounded like a fly," Anne replied. "Like the type that buzzes near your ear just to mess with you."
"Yep." Randy narrowed his eyes. "They're here."
Back down with Hop Pop, Sprig and Polly, they were selling the last of Plantars Potion much to Hop Pop's dismay. It was a golden opportunity for some quick cash to get them through the rent issue, but he almost went crazy with selling juiced up garbage. His father would be rolling in his grave if he'd gone along with that idea. The only ray of sunshine he could think of was that at least they were still selling what was left in their stock.
"Here you go, Wally," Hop Pop said. "You're among the last frogs to have Plantar's Potion before we run out."
"Man am I lucky!" Wally laughed. "I'll be sure to savor this then. Thanks, Hopediah."
"Another satisfied customer," Hop Pop sighed. "How long till the end, Sprig?"
"We still have three jars, Hop Pop," Sprig replied.
"And only a hundred Coppers from the rent," Polly added.
Hop Pop smiled. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing that they were running out of their selling stock. Sure, he would've loved to have had more to keep on selling to the frogs of Wartwood. But it was probably for the best that he had enough money to keep the family afloat for a while. Plus, he could be happy knowing that the extra taxes were going to go to fixing up the town. In hindsight, it was all in the little things that made it all worth it in the end.
"Then let's make the most of it and get those hundred," Hop Pop said.
"Hi, Hoppy," a voice called to Hop Pop.
He turned around to see al elderly lime green frog with white hair tied in a bun with glasses and a yellow dress looking at him.
"S-S-Sylvia Sundew?" Hop Pop stuttered. "Oh my gosh, how long has it been? When did you come back to Wartwood?"
"Oh I just moved back in with my daughter and granddaughter last week," Sylvia replied. "I've been catching up on the local gossip. It's so good to see you again. You still look as charming as ever." She winked at Hop Pop, making the Plantar elder turn a few red shades brighter.
Yep, Hop Pop, even at his old age, had a crush on someone. So, he had to play it cool and keep himself from making a fool out of himself.
"Well, um, thank you, Sylvia. Um, what can I get you?" Hop Pop cleared his throat.
Sylvia looked over the remains of what the stand had. It wasn't much but she could see a few things that she liked. Her eyes landed on a slightly oddly formed pumpkin that everyone had ignored, perhaps because it resembled the farmer's head.
"I think I'll take this one," Sylvia said. "It has such an odd shape." She picked it up to look at it.
"Oh, um sure but no one seemed to be interested in that pumpkin. There are a couple that look better," Hop Pop said.
"I know but I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the weird ones," Sylvia said, putting the pumpkin side by side with Hop Pop's head. "How much for this one?"
"Oh, that'll be 45 Coppers," Hop Pop said.
Sylvia handed the Coppers to Hop Pop when her eyes landed on the jars of Plantar's Potion.
"What might those be?" Sylvia asked.
"Oh, um, these are Plantar's Potions. They are freshly squeezed veggie juice from my farm's own garden," Hop Pop said. "Nothing special really."
"Well, in that case, I'll have those three then," Sylvia said.
"All three?" Hop Pop asked before shaking. "Well, um, that would be 100-no, 95 Coppers, Sylvia." Hop Pop pulled up the last three potions.
Sylvia was about to hand Hop Pop the money when suddenly everything went dark above them.
"Oh, it must be cloudy today," Hop Pop said before looking up.
However, it wasn't a cloud that he saw. Hop Pop let out a scream of terror as they all gazed at the large black cloud of Death Seekers hovered over them, blocking out the sun. All the frogs in the market saw this and ran for their lives as the yokai descended down on them like a rain of arrows.
"Those are some big bugs!" Anne cried out as Randy unsheathed his sword.
"Get the Plantars to safety!" Randy jumped high with his sword ignited and coated with flames.
Randy swung his sword, slicing through the flies one by one. He made his way through them, jumping from one to the other. His sword sliced through their heads and their bodies like a warm knife through butter. He hopped from one fly to the other, cutting them down with his sword. His scarf wrapped around one of the flies, pulling it and several else into a single strike.
The defeat of several of the Death Seekers was mounting, but there were still too many and there was no end to them in sight. Randy watched as several of the flies lunged down to the frogs with their beaks ready to strike. But he jumped down between them and the threat. Slicing upwards in a wheel of fire, he cut through the flies as the frogs fled for their lives. His breath was burning but he didn't stop fighting.
The Death Seekers landed on the ground, thrashing the market. Their eyes looked around the place for something, what was attracting them. They terrified all the frogs even as some tried to fight back.
Gripping tightly his sword, Randy lunged himself at the flies as they continued to land around the market. He sliced through the flies, cutting them to pieces, burning them to a crisp. He continued swinging his sword over and over, taking as many of them down as much as he could. His chest tightened. He was getting close to his limit.
If he was stopped now, he would be easy prey. He missed a swing as the Death Seeker lunged at him.
"Look out, Randy!" Anne jumped in front of him.
She held up a discarded table, using it as a shield to block the attack. She pulled out her racket and smashed it on top of the Death Seeker's head.
"You okay?" Anne asked.
"Yeah, just need a minute," Randy replied, getting back to his feet. "We have to get them all together and burn them to a crisp." Randy blocked another yokai before taking a step back.
"Any ideas?" Anne swung her racket on the yokai rushing at her. "They're surrounding us!" Anne and Randy found themselves inside a kill circle of Death Seekers.
The eyes of the yokai landed on Anne. They could sense it. Something powerful and bright calling to them. It was inside the young human and they wanted it.
The Plantars ducked and used whatever they could for cover as the yokai rushed to Anne and Randy.
Sprig pulled out his slingshot and fired at the bugs, hitting one in the eyes.
"Eat that you bug!" Sprig called out. "I ate your cousins for breakfast!"
The Death Seeker lunged at Sprig. Hop Pop saw this and tossed a jar of Plantar's Potion back at its face.
"Get away from my grandson!" Hop Pop called out as the jar broke over the yokai.
The sweet smell of the juice got the attention of three other yokai. They turned to their brother before they attacked each other.
"Carnage! Nice!" Polly called out.
"Wait, the juice," Hop Pop said. "I've got an idea! Kids, come with me now!" Hop Pop, Sprig and Polly hopped back to the stand.
Randy and Anne found themselves back to back as the Death Seekers stabbed at them. Like spears from trained hunters, the beaks thrusted forward trying to impale them at any chance they got. Randy blocked with his sword one beak, dodged another, but the third one cut his leg like a dagger. Anne ducked under an attack, bent backwards dodging a second beak only for her side to get nicked by a third beak. They spun around, blocking and keeping the yokai from killing them. But each block or dodged move was met with a sharp cut from another beak.
The two humans found themselves covered in cuts from their arms, sides and legs. Panting like a couple of juggers after getting twice their own weight in stones tied around them. But they remained standing. They had to find a way out before they were killed off by the rogue yokai.
"Any bright ideas?!" Anne swung her tennis racket at the yokai flies, blocking a beak before hitting another one in the head.
"We must get out of here!" Randy caught a beak with his hand before slicing it and the head of the yokai in one swing. "We must attract them all to one spot and end them before they kill us! Or else, it'll be our death!" He blocked another beak, getting a cut on his chin.
The situation was bad. Even with the smaller number of the Death Seekers Randy and Anne were still surrounded. If he could use the Dance of Fire then he would be able to escape, but Randy could not leave Anne to fend for herself. He had to find a way to get rid of the beasts before they could kill them and get Anne out of the kill circle or else their defeat would be inevitable.
"Randy! Anne! Get them suckers over here!" Hop Pop called out as he and Sprig filled a large juicer with garbage and covered it with Plantar's Potion.
"Randy, make a fire circle!" Anne cried out.
Randy's lungs filled with fire as he started the dance once more. Anne jumped to the center of the circle as Randy spun around her. His hands gripped his family's sword tightly as he spun around Anne. With two powerful swings, his sword unleashed two waves of fire, pushing the yokai away, giving them the opening they needed. Anne grabbed hold of Randy jumping over the giant flies much to his surprise. She landed on the ground before sprinting like a bat out of hell.
"You don't need to carry me, Anne!" Randy said as he and Anne ran towards the large barrel.
"Sorry, I just wanted to cop a feel!" Anne apologised.
"You what?!" Randy snapped.
"Get over here! Quick!" Sprig called out as they watched the yokai flies charging after the two teens.
"Behind the barrel!" Hop Pop added.
Randy and Anne ran around the large barrel as Hop Pop tossed the last of Plantar's Potion on the barrel.
The sweet smell of the potion caught their noses. The yokai swarmed around the barrel licking and stabbing at the barrel for more of that delicious potion coated garbage. Their beaks pierced the wood of the barrel as they tried to get all the delicious content hidden inside. But as soon as they tried to get away, they couldn't. Their spear-like beaks were stuck inside the barrel, glued to the inner contents by a dark goop that couldn't get removed even if they tried.
The yokai combined their efforts, flapping their wings quickly. They managed to lift off the large barrel above the heads of Randy, Anne and the Plantars.
"Whoa, they're lifting it up!" Polly called out. "Now that's some muscle!"
"And they're slow too," Randy added.
"As long as they're stuck they're sitting ducks!" Hop Pop said. "We gotta take them out now!"
"Already on it!" Randy took in a deep breath, feeling the total concentration and the fire breathing combined. "Anne, care to give me a boost?"
"I think I can manage!" Anne held her hands together.
Randy ran towards her at top speed. His muscles ached and he felt his blood pumping faster, almost bursting through his body, but he pushed on. He changed his grip on his sword, holding it backwards. He was planning on ending this fight once and for all.
As he reached Anne, his eyes linked up with hers for a moment. Her hands caught his next step. In a brief second, he saw it once more: the blue powerful light that he'd seen the other day. That glow was only there for a brief moment, but the energy that he sensed from it was like looking into the eye of a storm that was about to drown the valley or watching the wrath of nature coming down on some poor soul. But above all else, it reminded Randy of the bright light that had brought him to Amphibia.
"Go kick their butts!" Anne called out, pushing him upwards with more strength than he had expected.
Randy was sent flying straight to the barrel. He flapped about, trying to regain his composure before he reached his target. He gripped his sword tightly, spinning as he flew upwards. His body became coated in a spinning flame, spiraling around the yokai and the barrel. Following the trail of the flames, Randy swung his sword, letting the flames engulf the yokai flies, cutting their heads from their bodies and burning them to a crisp.
"Norushi Style! Tide Slice!" Randy called out as the yokai were vanquished by the flames.
The barrel was consumed by the fire, exploding mid-air as Randy landed back in the ground with a roll.
"Woo hoo! We did it!" Anne and the Plantars cheered as they rushed to Randy's side.
"That was awesome, Randy!" Anne hugged Randy.
Randy jumped back at the sight of Anne. His instincts told him that there was something more, but he didn't move.
"Um, sorry, I just, um, my wounds stung a bit." Randy looked away, lying.
"Meh, it's cool, dude," Anne shrugged. "We should get cleaned up anyway."
Randy looked at Anne with caution. But for now, he had to keep his cool.
"The town is saved and the yokai are vanquished!" Sprig cheered.
"And we made enough money to save the stand!" Hop Pop added, tempting fate.
And fate answered by dropping a chunk of the burning barrel on top of the stand.
Hop Pop laid on the couch, looking up into the nothingness above him with a crushed heart. After all that hard work and close calls, they had lost the stand.
"Want some dinner, Hop Pop?" Sprig offered him some food.
"I suppose so. I could use a meal." Hop Pop took the plate. "I can't believe the stand is gone. And I still had to pay the rent!"
"Yeah, talk about kicking someone while they're down," Polly said. "You want me to take out Toadie? You know I can."
"No assassinations, Polly. Besides, it's not all bad," Anne said as Randy kept an eye on her.
"You're right. I mean, now I can take the extra time to fix a few things around the farm, maybe explore some other avenues and experiment with those new seeds I've always wanted," Hop Pop said. "Besides, we're good financially for a while. I just got to go get something off my chest."
Hop Pop walked out of the room and into the kitchen.
"He's gonna freak out," Polly said.
"OH MY FROG, I'M UNEMPLOYED!"
Randy couldn't blame the old farmer for freaking out. The rent, the produce, the yokai attacks, they all piled on top of each other like a house of bricks on top of a deck of cards. Eventually something would have to give in and sadly, that was the stand. Which made Randy wonder why the sudden tax increase with no prior knowledge. But that was a thought for another day. He had bigger things in his mind to worry about.
"We better call it a night early, gang," Randy said. "Tomorrow, we'll figure out what to do about money."
"Sounds good, I'm beat." Anne made her way to the basement only for Randy to stop her.
"Um, say, Anne, don't you think it was weird that the yokai only focused on us instead of everyone else?" Randy asked.
"Uh, more scary than anything else," Anne replied. "They must've smelled the Plantar Potion on us and that made us a prime meal or something." She shrugged.
"Yeah, almost like they were attracted by a flash of multi-colored lights, right?" Randy added.
"What?" Anne asked as she looked at him funny.
"Oh, nothing, I must be saying something weird after all the excitement," Randy said. "Good night, Anne."
"Good night, Randy." Anne kissed him on the cheek.
They looked at each other for a second. Their cheeks blushed before Anne rushed back down the stairs to the basement, muttering about what she had done and not to think too much about it.
Randy placed his hand on his cheek for a moment before shaking his head. He couldn't get distracted. Anne was hiding something, and he knew it. The Death Seekers had been making their way towards the farm when he first spotted them, but then made their way to the market. They stayed where Anne was at all times. Their sights were set on her. She reacted to his comment about the bright multi-colored lights, the yokai were somehow attracted to her and that glow in her eyes.
It couldn't be a coincidence that she arrived and all these strange events started taking place.
Randy's eyes landed on his sword. He didn't know what were Anne's true intentions, but he knew that he had to do something. His duty was to protect his home no matter what came at him.
"I'll get answers tomorrow, that's a promise." Randy walked away from the basement door.
Deep in the swamp, a large green tail wrapped around a foul smelling green fire. A robed head approached the flames.
"Soon, the calamity will be mine."