Slowly, Egosum made his way to the other edges of the gathering where the frogs seemed less warry.

The masses split like the red sea as he guided Tecolotl along.

Faint whispers of uncertainty and ridicule for the scared frog behind him dominated the conversations.

“Hey, is it always gonna be all eyes on us?” Egosum scanned the crowd and watched their visions immediately shift away under his attention.

“Maybe, you are the strangest guest anyone has ever brought here.” The frog had a strange pep in his hop as he moved. “It’s a big change for me. They usually treat me like dirt. Most scarred never even attend these things.”

They slowed down as they approached the side. A few of the onlookers disappeared into the many halls that funneled all of the frogs into the ballroom.

Soon enough, only the most distrustful and paranoid of the attendees were left.

Egosum leaned down and whispered to his guide.

“Do you think we could sneak away? I want to follow those guys from earlier.”

Tecototl scoffed.

“Oh yeah, because they are gonna just forget about you while you try to slink out of their vision.”

He took a deep sigh.

“I can get us out of here so we can follow them or meet up with them or whatever you want. Not like I will meet anyone here worth really talking to.”

The pair turned around and headed for the exit.

The frogs whispered constant derisive comments and prayers under their breaths as they watched the outcast and his follower leave.

Egosum could feel his brow crease with annoyance once they pushed their way through the doors.

“Those fuckers suck. I mean, just the worst. How did all of this come from that?”

A small laugh left the otherwise silent guide.

“I’m serious.”

Instead of going outside, Tecolotl headed straight left and pushed his way through a series of dusty doors.

“I used to sneak away from the gathering when the bullying got too bad. I ended up just wandering around tons before leaving. It helped me learn the palace’s structure and where the baron loiters about.”

A tinge of venom seeped into the frog's tone before quickly falling away.

“We should connect with the direction they went if we head this way.”

Small balls of moss hung from the ceiling offering light in these unused areas. The smooth black stone that made up every wall and floor lost its polished look thanks to the piles of dust that caked the surface.

They halted as Tecolotl placed his hands on another seemingly random door.

Egosum hopped through and looked around.

The hall had obvious signs of recent use.

A series of footprints littered the ground.

“Good job.” The frog pushed his way in after him

They followed after the tracks before finally finding his goal.

Near the very end of the hall, a group of nearly two dozen abyssal frogs sat silently watching them as they approached.

“I don’t like this.” Tecolotl’s eyes darted side to side with a bundle of anxiety forming in his voice.

“Now you’re scared of your own people? Really?” Egosum could hardly believe it.

“They… I don’t know. They just seem too confident. I haven’t seen anything like it before. Where is the fear of the unknown or averting their gazes?”

He looked towards them once more and made eye contact with one of the many frogs.

“See. They don’t even look away… I don’t think I can do this. You can go talk to them and I'll stay back here.”

Egosum had half a mind to force him forwards before better judgement got to him

“Fine. Just watch how it's done. Maybe you will learn something like how to have a spine.” He took a few leaps forward before topping just shy of the closest frog.

They stared each other in the eyes, waiting for the other to speak first.

The creature's eyes transformed before him. Swirls of energy burst to life and Egosum felt a sudden draw on his consciousness.

On reflex, his Qi whirled to life, snapping the strange feeling as quickly as it arrived.

The moment lasted far longer than Tecolotl would have even fathomed possible when the mysterious leader spoke up.

“Very impressive. It’s not everyday that I meet someone new that can withstand my gaze. Truly a momentous occasion.” His tone was filled with respect. The other frogs nodded in agreement.

“It’s impressive to maintain eye contact?”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

The leader scoffed.

“Like you wouldn’t believe. It is a point of constant pain for me and my comrades.”

“I see…well, you drew me all the way here for a reason, I assume.”

The frogs looked amongst themselves before nodding to their leader.

He readjusted his footing, turned his chin up, and put on the most respectable tone possible.

“We are the Allegiance of Scar, and we have a goal that we are unable to achieve.”

The words seemed to drag Tecolotl back into the conversation.

“Scar?” He approached the group and peaked around Egosum’s side with interest.

“If you’re telling me this stuff then you must think I can help you with that goal.”

They all nodded as a group in eerie unison.

“Alright then. Lay it on me.”

“We wish to overthrow the baron, Ek Bahlam.” As the words left his mouth, the frog behind Egosum flew into the ceiling.

“Woah!”

Tecolotl grabbed his head in pain

“Shit.”

“Exactly.” The group seemed to agree with the reaction.

“And why is this so insane?” The frogs exchange a series of glances.

Egosum could hear their hearts picking up at the mere thought of their plan.

A few of their number turned a lighter color and many tapped their feet on the ground as anxiety mounted.

“Ek Bahlam has been in control for nearly a hundred years and we have been unable to even come close to overthrowing him.”

There was a flurry of pain and sadness within his voice.

It spoke of past loss and regret.

“And why would I be able to change anything here if you guys couldn’t change a thing? I mean really, what difference will I make? Sell it to me because you aren’t making it sound very glamorous.”

The leader held his eyes tightly shut before speaking through pursed lips.

“Our allegiance began soon after the siege that brought our civilization to our knees. The fish and bugs knocked us back to the deepest reaches of the pools.”

He twirled his hand around and the stone came alive with motion.

A large black swirl cleared the ground of dust and small figurines came alive.

Battles waged on with more of the amphibious fighters dying with each conflict.

“That is when we finally finished the creation of the palace. A bastion of our kind. Impenetrable to most of the beasts that would wish us harm…. It also poisoned our kind.” A hint of shame invaded his tone.

The black morphed once more.

The figures fought the few beasts that could make it to the capital and rushed out to meet the horrors that backed them.

“It was a gory mess by the time our people were finally free of the dangers. The strongest of our kind were gone. We holed up inside the capital for centuries in hopes of bidding out strength.”

New figures replaced the mess. They were smaller, frailer, and timid in their motions.

“Our people became what we are today. Physically unimpressive, sexually repressed, and soft creatures.”

A large figure grew from the ground, walking around the frogs with only a thin barrier separating them

Egosum felt his brow fall.

The creature was in the shape of a massive cat.

“Our order thought it best to force our people out of their comfort zone. Make them confront the world we hid them from. Ek Bahlam was the perfect choice for that change.”

The barrier shattered and the cat walked into the capital with all of the frogs scattering around.

“We bargained with him and weakened the magic that our ancestors once spent their lives creating. He forced all of us out and took the capital like we asked.”

He heard the frog behind him gasp in surprise.

‘I guess this revelation is somewhat shocking. Almost as bad as my magic revelation.’

“Our people…didn’t exactly adapt to the pools as we had hoped. Their already shrinking numbers took a massive hit as predation skyrocketed and it became painfully obvious they weren’t up to the task.”

A field of frogs slowly melted away only leaving a sparse number loitering around.

“We quickly realized that what we did was something we couldn’t hope to undo. Our people have been living for the last hundred years in fear while we watch as they disappear.”

Egosum interrupted him.

“That is all adequately tragic, but how can I do anything if none of you guys could succeed within a hundred years?”

The black image faded away, leaving only the smooth stone in its wake.

“Ek Bahlam is one of the only remaining old enemies. A creature from when our people were great. As such, he grew to be incredibly capable at thwarting our attempts to fight back.”

He wiped his face with one of his webbed hands.

The green skin washed away, and pale scar tissue replaced the patch of skin.

“Oooooh” Tecolotl peaked from around him, his own scar glinting under the light.

Every other member nearby wiped away another splotch of color from some part of their body.

Legs, backs, stomachs, and everything in between housed the medal of conflict.

“We lost. Over and over again, we failed to force him from the throne room. He is able to control the abyss to frightening degrees and only seems to grow stronger with time. We are lost and we need help.”

The leader lowered his head to the ground followed by the entire group behind him.

“Please, we humbly beg for your assistance.”

He looked over them as they froze on the ground, waiting for an answer they so desperately desired.

‘Do I be a hero again? Will this ruin my plans to create my own civilization? Maybe…’

“I have a few conditions that must be met.”

He announced to them and watched as they all perked up.

“If it is within our power, we will do anything that we can.”

“If I do this, then I wish for an alliance. I am creating a civilized community near the edge of the abyssal pools, and I need allies to help make it possible.”

The leader answered immediately.

“Of course. It would be an honor to join your union. Our people would be grateful to you for freeing our ancestral home and I have no doubt they would quickly warm up to you.”

Egosum looked back at the frog hiding behind him.

“That will be…useful. My other requirement is to help look for my lost friend. A member of your species and my longest companion.”

One of the many members took out a scroll from a small black portal and began scribbling away.

“Whatever information you have will make this much more possible. Location of disappearance, name, and anything else you can think of.”

“Alright. His name is Coyotl and he might be mute. During our travels I have yet to actually hear him speak, but i have some hope.” They nodded along. “As we were crossing the mountains-”

Several of them gasped.

“The wind picked up as we were coming down and he jumped off the cliff. Instead of falling, he disappeared into a portal”

“Spatial leaping!?” A cacophony of noise filled the hallways as many of the frogs shouted in surprise.”

“Told you that it was impressive.” Tecolotl chirped from behind.

“Whatever. Stop interrupting me. One major concern is that it might not be his real name. He never told me, but he seemed okay with it. All of this happened about eight days ago. ”

The leader looked to the ground in thought before finally looking up with a concerned look.

“That could explain why he hasn’t resurfaced. When one of our kind spatial leaps, they always land in the audience hall of the throne room. There have been disappearance of the most experienced hoppers around and I am sure that is the cause.”

The world stilled as the implications hit Egosum.