The abyssal frogs looked amongst themselves. The fear of being snatched by those things still fresh on their minds.

“They just aren’t used to dodging them. The lurkers aren’t very common deeper in the swamp so they must not be as practiced.”

Egosum turned to the smaller creature. Tecolotl was looking around like he hadn’t just bolted from the scene with only regard for his own wellbeing just to return once the coast was clear.

“I’m surprised you are okay with being around them so much. You are the biggest wuss that I know.”

The other frogs turned to him with a look of surprise.

“You deal with those things frequently?”

Tecolotl shrugged his shoulders.

“They aren’t too bad if you just stay really quiet while passing by. Slow kicks and attention to detail goes a long way.”

The conversation fell away as the newcomers stared with disbelief.

“So does your presence mean it's time to take the fight back to the baron?”

He kept his hope close to his chest as he fished for answers.

The leader hopped forward to address the much larger creature.

“Yes. It came to my attention recently that he decided to end the meeting because he ran into something while traversing the abyss. Rumors are that he was injured in combat. It might be the only way we can catch him while he is weakened.”

Egosum looked back to the other amphibians.

Cinera had landed from her cloud and was listening in while the caecilian was flopping around in boredom.

“Do you think you can come with us? The question caused the salamander to perk up.

She hurriedly cast a spell and proudly stepped over to the abyssal water.

A single delicate finger dipped inside only for her to recoil instantly.

“It’s not cold. It just saps mana away.” Egosum nodded in confirmation.

The memories from the first time he ventured into the waters were fresh on his mind.

“Do you have any magic for that?”

She quickly conjured another spell frame and waited as it revolved in circles with her at the very center.

“In fact I do.” She spoke with a grin of triumph on her face.

She dipped her hand back inside and nodded with success as the mana within her body refused to diffuse into the water.

The pair moved towards the group of frogs. Egosum waved at the caecilian and shouted towards Tecolotl.

“Make sure you stay around. I don’t want to be left wandering the swamp trying to find my home. That would suck more than I can articulate.”

The scared frog waved him off like he was just another annoying part of life.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not dumb enough to go fight an ancient monster that outlived all the other ancient monsters. Unlike some people, I wish to see tomorrow’s sunrise. Try not to die too fast.”

The faithless speech acted as their final send off with Natan finally perking up and watching them depart without a word.

The look in her eyes was far more detached from the word than he had ever seen from the creature. It reminded him of Coyotl when they first met with a tinge more emotional baggage

“I guess we are good to go. We won’t be landing at his stairs right away, will we?”

The frogs shook their heads and motioned them forward.

“We will be stopping by the base to meet up with the infiltration team and then they will guide you from closer one of the water highways that leads into the city.”

The pair of outsiders followed the frogs to the water's edge, physically tying them together with a bundle of rope so they wouldn’t be separated in a moment of inattention.

The journey started off much slower than he remembered Tecolotl ever going, but their tepidity was warranted with the hidden dangers of the abyss begging far greater near the edges if the cowardly creature was to be believed.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Without any way to communicate, the journey lasted for what felt like hours in silence, taking in what little air he could from the water. HE worried slightly about the member salamander before setting it from his mind.

It would do no one any good to psych themselves out when they were going into war.

A random rush of water startled him from the idle thoughts that occupied his mind.

The frogs guiding him tumbled around, throwing them off their path.

Without any way to check on them, he merely trusted the naturally gifted creatures.

Suddenly, the water parted and he found himself staring into pitch black darkness.

“What is-” His question was cut short as he felt a slash cut deep into his flesh.

His naturally tough skin opened up with ease and quickly began to pump blood across his back.

He pivoted with his muscular arms and looked at the cause of the aching wound.

The room was entirely devoid of light, but his enhanced vision cleaved through it like it was blasted with the early morning sun.

The monster he saw looked more akin to a beast from his nightmares than something that belonged to this world.

Large tentacles grasped the lifeless rocks with cups lined with teeth on every surface. Its eyes were a deep dark blue belonging to the furthest reaches of the ocean. All of the appendages led back to its main body that looked ready to engulf entire continents with a gaping maw filled with spines and serrated molars.

Egosum called on his Qi, tightening his blood vessels and stemming the flow of blood.

The stone around him refused to answer his call and the water greedily sucked up whatever he fed inside without returning anything worthwhile.

He cut his losses and focused entirely on strengthening his body to the limits. His muscles tensed with pressure and his skin turned hard as steel. He had entered full on brawl mode and this horror before him was about to get it.

The sound of the amphibians behind him scurrying away from the water's edge was barely audible over the noises coming from the thrashing creature.

It yanked itself on land, scrapping the stone with its razor sharp limbs and staring a hole straight through Egosum

He shot forward before it could entirely ready itself, crashing into its gelatinous flesh only to shoot back out without harming it. His webbed feet skid to a stop and his gaze landed back on the creature as it stood to its full height.

The bulbous eyes carried an intelligence that caused him far more worry than he was happy to admit.

A long tentacle bent at the monster's side before launching forward with far more speed than he was expecting.

It caused a deafening snap as the very end came into contact with his arm.

Egosum nearly fell to the ground before backing away.

His arm was tender after the blow but no new wounds made themselves known.

“Make sure you guys stay back!”

With his warning done, he went on the offensive.

His back legs tensed and shot him forward in a blur. His enhanced senses were the only way he was able to keep up with the rapid movement.

His large warty hand reached for one of the many spines sticking from the creature's body, grasping it tightly within his grip.

Despite the smooth appearance, he could feel smooth edges slicing into his skin like the QI wasn’t there in the first place.

His other hand pulled the hooked claw Thunkar gifted him free and slammed it deep into the flesh near its base.

He yanked with all the strength he would muster and felt it begin to loosen.

The monster's whip-like arms didn’t stay idle while he struggled to cause as much damage as possible.

The vicious cupped appendages reached for him from every angle he could see.

Before they could make contact, he yanked back, taking the large piece with him and fleeing beyond the farthest extent of its range.

He saw the monster tense as the first feelings of pain that it had probably ever tasted settled in.

If the tentacles that had assaulted the abyssal frogs were anything like this thing, then they would have been shredded in seconds instead of merely being dragged into the pool.

It moved towards him with an awkward shuffle that demonstrated its lack of agility on land.

He slowly backed away towards the scared frogs. The sounds of their breathing getting closer with each second. A few more moments and they would touch.

The monster followed like a lost puppy and Egosum’s opportunity finally came.

He felt his back bump into the blind frogs, startling them from their terrified trembling.

“Heeeeeeeeh!” One shouted while the other tensed with fear.

His burly arms flew around them before either could get away.

“We are getting out of here right now.”

Despite all of his natural advantages, he didn’t see a way to beat the creature without taking far more wounds than he wanted to.

With his new keratinous spear in hand he rushed around the monster and straight for the water.

Its eyes glowed with vitriol as it slowly turned to watch the prey leave.

The guide quickly slapped on the roped and dived in, planning to put as much distance between them and the horror as they possibly could.

The water welcomed them back and the speed at which they carried themselves was much quicker with the knowledge that that thing would be following them at any moment.

It wouldn’t have been more than a few minutes later when they broke through the water once more and the first signs of light hit his face.

He scanned the room, taking in every detail he could.

The other three guides that had taken Cinera along were standing around her.

Their conversation was so enthralling that none of them seemed to notice the desperate scrambling of the newcomers.

“Ah you guys made it.” Moctezuma, the leader of the scar alliance, was ready to receive the toad. He stopped himself before he could continue with his speech as he saw his men in disarray.

“What’s going on? Are you guys still freaked out by the lurkers earlier?” They finally came to a stop, heaving with difficulty as they tried to regain whatever composure was left.

“We ran into the grandaddy lurker. At least, that’s what it looked like. Gnarly as could be and viscously powerful.” He tossed the spearlike tusk to the ground. It stopped just short of the leader's hands. “I wouldn’t touch it if I were you. Pretty uncomfortable.”

He flashed his raw hands and turned to the salamander.

“Got some of the healing salve still?” She withdrew a small portion of it from her coat and handed it over. The total reserves of the gift were nearing depletion as they participated in more and more fights since settling down.

The amount left was saved specifically for after the fight with Ek Bahlam.

He had one of the Scar members cover his back while he massaged it deep into the cuts on his hands.

He needed to be in peak form for what was about to happen.

“I hope you will be good soon enough. We won’t have long. His kind only heal while in deep sleeps so that will offer the best time to strike.”

Egosum nodded in affirmation.

“I want to get there within the next few hours. These wounds will close and i will be good as new. Let’s rescue my friend and take back your ancestral home.”