The sun was almost sleepy hanging in the reddish sky. Night crawlies started to come out, it was about to go dark. Although the wind was getting cold, the atmosphere at the stinky marsh not far from a dusty road was not in the night vibes at all.
The Toad Lords, residents of the marsh, were gathered in a circle. Croaking so loud, mouths drooling at the sight of their potential dinner, they were closing in.
At the toads' center, two girls were sweaty. One with a skinny feature had fierce eyes behind her long bangs. Although she struggled in keeping herself from scratching the itchy water on her skin, she would not stop stirring of what looked like a black liquid inside a clear bottle.
The other girl, slightly older and slightly taller by a few inches has been keeping her balance in an awkward stance. Where her left hip has held a bit to support the weight of a bulky sling which was wrapped around herself. So bulky her left arm was nothing but tired from supporting it too. Despite it all, she had a short rod on her right pointing to the toads like a sword; as if it could help.
"Ate Hannah, is Bebe awake yet?" the younger girl asked without taking her eyes off the biggest toad. It was way taller than a grown man that her neck took the toll for being held in a while.
"Not yet, but when it comes to this…" Hannah answered and sighed. She made a short glance to the sling and back again to the advancing toads.
For there weren't two, but three girls in the marsh. For inside the bulky sling was a plump sleeping toddler. Her chubby cheeks bulged out from the tiny earmuff she was wearing. She twitched a little, nevertheless still fast asleep.
The younger girl secured the stick she used in stirring to the rope bound around her waist. A bunch of bottles with colored liquid were attached to it too. Without taking her eyes off the biggest toad she rummaged through her backpack. She then brought out one big apple and hurriedly took a bite.
As if like a magic wand, she waved the fruit back and forth near the toddler's nose.
"I hate doing this," said Hannah as she removed the earmuff and was preparing to untangle the child out of the sling.
"We literally don't have a choice, I'm out of mana," said the younger one.
The toads became louder and tried to move in impatiently. Their fat legs took huge steps, they couldn't hop for some reason. Their mouths now watery at the sight of the additional dinner wriggling out of the sling. The Toad Lords were half blind after all, they only relied on what was moving.
"Bebe, want some apple?" said the younger girl as she held the apple high enough so the baby couldn't reach the fruit.
"Ap-hol, ap-hol!"
Hannah had just finished untangling the toddler from the sling and put her down in the stinky water. Cleaning her afterwards would be way easier than what was about to happen.
With the rod Hannah had been pointing to their assailant she made a vertical motion in the air and shouted, "Slit!"
Two vertical lines as if cut by a knife appeared mid-air. One in front of the younger girl and the other one straight in the face of the biggest toad. She waved the rod slightly and the cut grew accordingly.
"France, now!" she shouted.
The younger girl named France took another bite of the apple and showed it again to the toddler.
"Here, Bebe, apple!"
"Ap-hol, eat, ap-hol!"
Without warning France threw the half bitten fruit to the first slit and it went through the second slit. It hit the biggest toad's right eye and bounced upward. The toads suddenly stopped croaking. The toddler stopped saying aphol. All eyes to the falling red fruit.
But the biggest toad with a snap extended its tongue and caught the fruit. Straight to its mouth and down its throat.
All the other toads began croaking again, as if in glee they managed to hop their fat bellies a little.
"Ap-hol," said the toddler with her cutest voice. She said it again but now it was loud and angry.
"You have an extra one, right?" asked Hannah.
But France has no time to answer. She was busy taking cover as boulders and stones were gathering around them.
As the toddler was screaming for her favorite apple, waves of energy surrounded the child. The energy as if with some knowledge stacked the stones on top of each other. As the child continued, the stones formed into three giant golems.
