Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Odd Jobs
Amphibia: Calamity Warriors
Chapter Three: Odd Jobs
The next day, came, the winds around Wartwood started to pick up, so Shadow decided they should remain indoors and hang out. After another board game session, Anne laid out her stuff in her backpack to show her caretaker.
"And what's this?" He asked, holding up a bike tire pump.
"That's for filling my bike tires with air." Anne said.
"Fascinating." Shadow hummed before picking up a pair of toenail clippers. "And what's this? A torture device?"
"That's a toenail clipper." Anne said. "It's for cutting toenails and fingernails when they get too long."
"Convenient." Shadow nodded before picking up a pen. "And this?" He then clicked it. "Oh interesting." He then kept clicking it over and over. "Oh that's nice."
Anne chuckled at this before taking the pen, "This is a pen." She took a piece of paper and wrote out a sentence 'for writing' before giving the pen back to him. "You can have it."
"Thank you." He said with a smile. "This will be very helpful."
Anne watched him get up and put the pen away in his desk near the bed, looking at some of the decorations on the walls. Some were large insect skulls, like the skull of the red mantis he killed, along with what looked like the shell of a large elephant beetle, the mantis forearms crossed over each other, as well as large wasp stingers.
"You've been here a long time, huh?" Anne remarked.
"For as long as I can recall, yes." Shadow nodded before sitting back down.
"How long exactly?" She asked.
Shadow seemed to pause, as if hesitant to answer, but said, "Fifteen years, exactly."
Anne's eyes widened, "Wait, you mean you're…"
"Exactly fifteen years old, yes." Shadow nodded. "I was only a newborn when I ended up here."
"No way!" Anne protested. "There's no way that a baby could come here!"
"That's because I never came here willingly." Shadow frowned. "I was brought here."
Anne almost gasped, "By who?"
Shadow paused, a look of dread on his face, unsure if he wanted to answer.
"I…"
Just then, what sounded like a timer went off, the two looking to see Anne's cellphone near the cooking station.
"Sounds like it's lunch time!" Shadow smiled.
"Time to eat! Time to eat! Time to eat!" Anne chanted as she banged her fists against the table, as Shadow prepared the food.
"Settle down, alright?" He chuckled, carrying the plates to the table and setting one in front of Anne, a slab of marinated snake steak on the plate, making Anne's mouth water.
The two began eating, Shadow taking his time eating, while Anne practically scarfing down her steak before asking for another, then quickly scarfing down the next, then the next.
"You're cooking is awesome!" Anne declared before biting into what looked like her fifth steak.
"I've had good teachers, in all honesty." Shadow said. "It's thanks to them that I have a knack for cooking."
"Did Hop Pop teach you?" Anne asked before taking another bite.
"Oh, goodness no!" Shadow laughed. "No offense to Hop Pop, but the things he cooks is more likely to kill somebody."
"That bad, huh?" Anne almost cringed at the mental idea of Hop Pop cooking actual toxins.
"When he first took me in, I couldn't bring myself to eat his food." Shadow shivered. "So, I crafted a bow and arrow, some spears, and went hunting for my own meals. Worked out well, so far, once I knew what to hunt for."
"Did anyone in Wartwood teach you anything?" Anne asked.
"All the skills I know, I learned long before I arrived in this little town." Shadow explained. "That was five years ago, when Hop Pop found me near a lake, on the verge of death."
"Wow." Anne said, feeling bad for the teenager. "So where were you over the first ten years?"
Shadow paused once more, his face seeming to pale at some haunting memory.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked!" Anne quickly said in a panic.
"No, it's okay." Shadow waved it off. "It's just…not something I want to talk about right now."
"I get it." Anne nodded.
The meal continued in silence, before soon enough they finished, Shadow washing the dishes in the wash basin.
"What else do you do?" Anne asked. "Besides meditating out here?"
"Well, I do the occasional odd jobs for the town." Shadow said. "Between deliveries, trade, and giant insect hunting, it pays well."
She watched him finish the last of the dishes before putting on his cloak, picking up his sword and pulled his hood up and his face covered in shadow, leaving his right eye visible.
"Anyways, time for me to do said jobs." Shadow declared. "Interested in tagging along? See how it works?"
"Oh, count me in!" Anne declared with a massive smile. "What sort of adventures are we gonna have?!"
"Nothing too out of the ordinary, I assure you." Shadow said. "Just some deliveries here and there."
"Right, nice and quiet, hopefully." Anne nodded before standing with him.
The two teens stepped outside and walked over to the snail stable, where the snail with a silver shell waited.
"Hey there, Ironhide!" Shadow greeted the large snail. "Time for work!"
The snail chirped happily at the sight of its owner.
"That's a good boy." Shadow said as he scratched behind the snails head.
"Your snails name is Ironhide?" Anne said before gasping. "That's, like, the name of my favorite Transformer!"
Shadow tilted his head in confusion, Anne chuckling, "I'll tell you later."
Shadow proceeded to lead the snail out from the stable before connecting a wagon to the harness on the shell before hopping up to the saddle.
"Hop up!" He called Anne, offering a hand.
The Thai girl took his hand, allowing him to pull her up, and sitting behind him. Looking back, she saw the wagon filled with all sorts of things, such as herbs, meats and skins and other such things.
"So, who are we making deliveries to?" Anne asked.
"Just the people on this list." Shadow said as he held up a sheet of paper. "First, we're stopping by Felicia's tea shoppe to drop off some tea ingredients."
Soon enough, they arrived in Wartwood, some of the townsfolk attending to their daily business, some manning vendor stands, others walking around, some children running about laughing. As the two humans rode through, some of the frogs gave a friendly wave, while others gave glares of suspicion.
"Everyone's kinda mixed on us, huh?" Anne said with an awkward chuckle.
"These frogs are slow to accept, and even slower to respect." Shadow stated, pointing over to the town entrance. "That's literally the town motto."
"Still, given the work you do, you'd think they'd speed it up with that respect and acceptance." Anne remarked.
"Eh, doesn't bother me none." Shadow shrugged. "I've already got that from the Plantars and that's good enough for me."
Anne didn't seem convinced, but decided not to press the issue, before they stopped at Felicia's Tea Shoppe, the skinny female yellow frog with long, braided red hair and a crown of green flowers sitting atop her head and wearing a dark green dress and light red lipstick awaited.
"Good afternoon, Shadow!" Felicia Sundew called as the wagon came to a stop outside her shop. "And I see you brought your guest."
"Hope you don't mind, Mrs. Sundew." Shadow said as he stepped off from atop Ironhide's shell. "Just showing her the ropes is all."
"I see nothing wrong with that." Felicia said. "Now, I trust you have those ingredients?"
"Indeed I do." Shadow nodded before lifting the tarp over the wagon. "Just as I promised."
"Many thanks, Shadow!" Felicia said with a smile as she took the ingredients and giving the boy a bag full of money. "Oh, and mind Ivy, will you?"
"Who?" Anne asked with a tilt of her head.
"Wait for it…" Shadow said with a raised hand…
"AMBUSH!"
Something jumped at Shadow, only for the cloaked boy to reach out and grab it with both hands, catching a small frog who seemed smaller than Sprig, the frog child bearing an innocent appearance and more portly than Sprig. Her skin was yellow with a pale patch under her mouth and dark spots on her cheeks and her two visible tufts of hair were orange. She wore a turquoise hat with ragged patches, frayed overalls, and a light green farming clothes.
"Hello, Ivy." Shadow greeted calmly. "How goes practice?"
"Going great, Teach!" The frog girl declared proudly. "Almost got you, too!"
"Close, but I had a feeling you were gonna try to jump me." Shadow chuckled. "But it'd help better if you didn't announce your presence when trying to sneak up on someone."
"Right, I'll work on that." Ivy nodded, before taking notice of Anne. "I see you brought your friend out!"
"Ivy, meet Anne, from another world." Shadow gestured. "Anne, meet Ivy, my student in self defense."
"Hi there!" Anne gave a friendly wave.
"Hey! Nice to officially meet you!" Ivy said before she gave a mischievous look. "Do you like being randomly attacked?"
"Not at all." Anne said.
"Well, too bad." Ivy said before turning back for the shoppe. "See you later, Teach." She then narrowed her eyes. "But you won't see me."
The two humans soon continued onward for their next stop, a young female frog waiting outside a bakery. She was close in age to Sprig and was roughly the same height as him. She was a light blue frog with a lighter shaded underbelly and had a red tongue. Just like the other frogs, she had four fingers per hand and two toes per foot. Her hair was a light pink with dark pink spots and bulbous in appearance with a small knot on her head, making it look like a mushroom cap. It covered one of her eyes, but the one that was visible was big and yellow with black, slit pupils similar to that of a snake. The most she wore in terms of clothing was just a black sack dress with a brown rope for a belt and was barefoot.
She was also holding what looked like a small boll that looked like Sprig.
"Hey there, Maddie!" Shadow greeted.
The young frog looked up at him with a creepy smile, "Hey, Shadow." She said before slowly pushing a small stake into the dolls heart.
"Got those ingredients you wanted." Shadow gave her several bags before gesturing to Anne. "By the way, this is Anne, the outer worlder that's living with me."
"Hi there!" Anne greeted with a wave. "Nice to meet you!"
Maddie only looked up at the Thai girl with a creepy stare, "I've seen your death in my mind."
Anne seemed taken aback before chuckling nervously, "Really? I was hoping it'd be a surprise."
"It will be…" Maddie whispered, Anne hearing a sinister laugh in her head that sent a shiver up her spine.
"Well, we'd better get going." Shadow said as he and Anne began to depart. "See you later, Maddie!"
"See you later, Shadow." Maddie smiled creepily as she waved her dolls arm.
The two soon arrived at the woodshop, the two entering to see the inside decorated with various wood-carved objects set up around the shop, and Loggle, a light blue axolotl with dark blue gills, stood behind the counter. He had two small white tufts of hair on the side of his head and a large white mustache. He had a light green tongue and his eyes were small and appear closed most of the time. When opened, they appeared white with blue pupils. He wore a pair of goggles that wrapped around his head. The left lens was clear while the right lens was green with three small settings on it, similar to a microscope. He wore a beige shirt, a brown work apron, and grey boots. To top it off, he wore a red bandana around his neck.
"Hey there, Loggle!" Shadow greeted. "Business going well?"
"It is!...not." Loggle said. "But it's always good to see you!"
"Likewise." Shadow nodded. "I assume that job is still open?"
"It is!" Loggle declared.
There was a moment of silence, before Loggle said, "Seriously, it is."
"What's with those pauses?" Anne asked.
"You shouldn't have said that." Shadow groaned.
"Old smithing accident." Loggle said darkly. "Tripped on an anvil, landed neck-first on a metal pipe, pierced my voice box clean through!" He exclaimed before lowering his scarf to show a hole in his neck.
Anne nearly gagged from it before asking, "What's the job, by the way?"
"Oh, it's a dangerous task." Loggle said as he pulled up a dark-colored book from the bookshelf, the book titled 'Incredibly Rare, Extremely Dangerous Trees'. "This task involves retrieving wood from the incredibly rare, extremely dangerous…" He placed the book on the counter before opening it to a picture of a wicked and evil looking tree. "…DOOM TREE!"
Anne gasped in terror, while Shadow simply sighed in boredom.
"Few have made it to the Doom Tree alive, fewer yet returned." Loggle continued with a dark tone. "It holds many secrets that mortals dare not-"
"Loggle, just tell us where to find it." Shadow said in a bored tone.
"Yeah, it's a tree." Anne deadpanned. "Now tell us where it is."
"Okay, okay." Loggle said before turning the page to a map. "I've got a map to the Doom Tree right here, but it'll cost ya."
"Click." Anne pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the map before showing it to the axolotl.
"Or you could do that." He said. "For free."
"Let's get going, Anne." Shadow said. "Time to grab some deathly wood."
"Yeah!" Anne cheered as she followed him out.
"Be careful, you two!" Loggle yelled after them. "That tree is cursed! CURSED, I TELL YOU!"
The two left the shop and took notice of the Plantar stand, seeing Hop Pop and the kids manning the stand before the two humans approached.
"Hey, old timer." Shadow greeted. "Business going good?"
"As always, Shade!" The old frog declared proudly.
"Hey, Shadow! Hey Anne!" Sprig declared happily with a wave.
"Did you kill someone today?!" Polly blurted out.
"Not today, Polly." Shadow chuckled. "But we are heading out to collect rare wood for Loggle. Supposedly dangerous."
"You don't sound too excited." Sprig pointed out.
"Eh, I just don't buy the hype." Shadow shrugged. "Most people who don't know the extent tend to treat it like it's all that, but it's disappointing in the end."
"Seen it before?" Anne questioned.
"At least five or six times, yeah." Shadow nodded. "Oh, and before I forget." He then pulled out several bags from his wagon and sat them next to Hop Pop's stand. "That beetle meat, you asked for."
"Oh, thanks!" Hop Pop smiled. "This will be great for the next meal!"
"Hopefully better than your usual grub." Shadow snarked with a chuckle.
"What? My cookin' ain't good enough for ya, mister prince?" Hop Pop said with narrowed eyes.
"Well, if I'm the prince of being picky," Shadow said slyly. "Then you're the king of bad cooking."
Sprig and Polly were silent with shock before they burst out laughing.
"He got you good, Hop Pop!" Sprig declared.
"Oh yeah?" Hop Pop narrowed his eyes. "Well you…uhhh…" He paused, trying to think up a comeback.
"What's the matter, old timer?" Shadow asked casually and confidently. "Frog in your throat?"
The kids cheered again, laughing at Hop Pop's expense.
"Oh, dang it!" Hop Pop yelled. "You know what? I'm taking a nap! Kids, watch the stand for me!" He started walking away. "I don't believe this. I fed you, housed you, and this is how you repay me?"
As Hop Pop walked away, Anne looked to Shadow with concern, "Wasn't that a little harsh?"
"Eh, he'll get over it." The boy shrugged. "Now, let's get on that job."
"Good luck!" Sprig called as the two rode away.
"Don't die!" Polly added.
The human duo soon left to find the Doom Tree, going past the Death Ridge and the Mushroom Forest, before stopping at Swamp Lake before going around it. Soon enough, after several hours, they arrived at the location, Anne holding up her phone to see the picture.
"Looks like we're here." She said before lowering her phone, looking at the actual tree, the tree looking even more horrible in person, a crooked, old, mossy tree with two small branches in the middle.
"Now that's an ugly tree." Anne commented.
"Just one of Mother Nature's horrible mistakes." Shadow shrugged.
Leaving the wagon and Ironhide some distance away, the duo approached the tree and gave it a quick look over.
"So, how're we doing this?" Anne asked. "You got an ax to chop it down or are you gonna use that giant katana?"
Smirking, the cloaked boy casually walked up to the tree before planting one foot against the tree, and Anne's eyes widened as she witnessed him walk upward against the tree's surface!
"Okay, seriously, how do you do all this?!" She demanded. "Is it some kinda superpower or something?!"
"Stick around and find out." Shadow calmly replied.
Slightly annoyed with how vague that was, Anne watched him approach one of the branches before snapping it off…followed by a shriek of pain, which drew Anne's confusion.
"Did that tree just…?" She said.
Before she could finish, the tree seemed to start shaking, the branches starting to bend and move, before Shadow jumped off, landing next to the Thai girl with grace, the two seeing they weren't facing a cursed tree, but a giant stick-bug that had two long, sharp claws and two pairs of rear legs. Its head was large with two bulbous pink eyes on both sides and a mouth lined with sharp teeth and two mandibles. There were also two twigs on top of its head resembling antennae.
The stick-bug let out a roar, spraying a brown liquid upon them, Shadow simply licking a sample of the liquid, a smile on his face, "Oh, it's maple."
"RUN!" Anne screamed before taking off, only to stop when she noticed that her caretaker hadn't moved an inch. "Dude, what're you doing?!"
Shadow only remained in place as the giant stick-bug towered over him, rearing one of its claws back before swinging forward, aiming to slice the boy in half, only for said boy to vanish with the wind, before reappearing behind the bug, sword drawn and sticking into the ground, the boy lazily leaning against it as if it were a cane. Looking back, the bug roared before charging, only for Shadow to vanish once more and reappearing behind it again. Anne watched as this game of cat and mouse continued, the stick-bug constantly going after the boy, while said boy seemingly teleported from one side to the other. But the more she watched, she could see him buckle when he moved to the other side, before seeming to dart off to the other side.
'Is he moving at high speeds…?' She mentally asked herself.
The stick-bug roared as it charged again, but once again, Shadow darted off faster than the eye could see, before moving in all directions, too fast for the bug to keep up, appearing to be swinging his katana, before finally stopping, getting down on one knee and slowly sliding his sword into its scabbard. Seeing its pray had finally stopped, the bug moved in for the kill…
Click!
Only for the handguard of the blade to click against the scabbard as the sword was fully sheathed, the wood on the bug flying right off, revealing the bug to be much more scrawny than it seemed.
Anne watched with wide eyes and her mouth agape as the bug, realizing it had lost its wooden armor, whimpered pathetically as it scurried off.
"And so ends the fun." Shadow declared. "Shame; was really hoping to claim another trophy-"
"HOW IN THE HECK DID YOU DO THAT?!"
Shadow leaned back as Anne rushed up and yelled that question, the young boy quite surprised as she got up in his face.
"HOWDIDYOUMOVESOFAST?!WHERE'DYOULEARNTHAT?!CANYOUTEACHME?!"
As the Thai girl kept screaming one question after another, Shadow stood there blankly before smacking a hand over her mouth, stopping her continuous questioning.
"Before I answer any of those questions," He said as he pointed towards the various piles of wood of the stick-bug. "Mind helping me load this onto the wagon?"
Quickly nodding, Anne made to pick up as much of the wood as she could, while Shadow took his sweat time, and soon enough, the wagon was full of the giant stick-bug's wood.
"So, care to explain all of that?" Anne asked once more.
"It was a long time ago, when I was younger." Shadow vaguely answered. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't pursue further."
Anne frowned at this, but could tell that asking about his past seemed to bother him, so she decided to let it go. But she was still curious about the abilities that he's shown.
"Can you teach me how to do those crazy stunts?" Anne asked with sparkles in her eyes. "The way you go zooming around and slicing up like slink! Chink! Zoom!"
Anne kept making several sword sound effects, Shadow just watching with a sweat drop before Anne faced him, "But really, I'd like to learn to do the things you do!"
"Is that so?" Shadow hummed, a finger against his chin. "Let me see."
Leaning forward, Shadow looked her in the eyes, Anne seeming confused and weirded out by how close he was to her face, her face heating up and her heart beating. The boy looked the Thai girl in the eyes as though he was looking for something specific.
And then he saw it, a spark of blue within her brown eyes!
"Hmmm." He hummed. "Yes, you look like you have some potential."
"Meaning…?" Anne said, expecting more.
"I'll teach you." Shadow nodded. "But it'll be tough. Think you can handle it?"
"You bet!" Anne cheered.
"Now, let's head back to Loggle's." He gestured to return. "Then we'll head home to rest."
After returning to Loggle's, and squaring away business with the axolotl, the two left the woodshop, the boy carrying a fancy looking coocoo clock.
"I'm surprised you let that slide." Anne commented.
"Eh, he's close to bankruptcy, and I saw no reason to add to it." Shadow shrugged. "Plus, I really wanted this clock."
"Looks like you actually have some people who like you." Anne smirked. "Some lone wolf you are, huh?"
"Only some, yeah." Shadow waved it off. "But there will always be those who fear me, but-"
Splat!
Suddenly, there was an egg splattering against his cloak, the two looking to see several frog kids across the dirt road.
"Get out of our town, monster!" One of them yelled.
"Yeah, get outta here!" Another yelled, readying to throw another egg.
"Hey, back off!" Anne yelled back before stepping forward, stepping in front of her caretaker. "He hasn't done anything to you!"
"Monster!" One of the kids yelled before running off, the rest of the group following shortly.
Anne growled at this, Shadow seeming touched by this, as the Thai girl faced him, "Thank you, Anne. You didn't need to do that."
"Hey, we're both in the same boat!" She smiled. "ShaAnne against the world!"
Shadow tilted his head, confusion written on his face.
"It's a thing where I come from." Anne explained. "We combine our names to form a sort of ship name to resemble our bond!"
"Ship name, huh?" Shadow hummed. "ShaAnne…I like it, though it could use some work."
The two went on, the boy leading Ironhide onward, before arriving at the Plantar stand, seeing Hop Pop had returned.
"Hey there, you two!" The old frog called. "Job go well?"
"It certainly did." Shadow nodded. "Turns out the 'cursed tree' was actually a giant stick-bug." He then pulled out the cane-shaped cane from his belt. "And here, a gift."
Taking the stick, Hop Pop nearly gasped, "This is just like my old cane! A fine shape!"
"Consider it a gift in good faith." Shadow nodded. "I hope you hold no ill will to my comments."
Hop Pop thought it over, before sighing, "Oh, I never could stay mad at you. I know you were just joking around."
"Glad to hear that." Shadow smiled.
"On another note, I've been working on a long list of comebacks to get you back for earlier." The old frog said as he pulled out a long list before clearing his throat. "Hey, Shade, is that your cape, or is it a blanket?"
"It can be a blanket." Shadow admitted with a chuckle.
The comeback surprising him, Hop Pop looked through his list, "Are those long, lanky limbs, Shade, or twigs?"
There was silence, save for a cough from Anne, before the old frog sighed, "The moment has passed, hasn't it?"